APPLES – EXTREME The Washington Apple community is reporting that the 2020-2021 crop is down this year by nearly 30 million cases for several reasons. At this time, we are also seeing deficits in other regions on a national level. This is due to weather-related pressure, late summer and early fall in the Pacific Northwest, and unprecedented demand at retail. Please keep in mind, the USDA Food Box program, as well as other government-backed programs, have reduced the overall availability of the fruit. This shortage is impacting the Granny Smith and Gala varieties, which are major food service items. Between the production shortages, which are weather-related, unprecedented demand, and COVID-19 restrictions and closures, there will be continued upward pressure on price. Please note that we are expecting pricing to remain higher until the new crop begins sometime in August 2021. |