That's a lot of apples. The forecast is out for the 2021 Washington State fresh apple crop from the Washington State Tree Fruit Association and it's up from last year.

THIS YEAR THE CROP IS 2.3% LARGER THAN LAST YEAR

Fruit association officials say the crop is forecasted at just under 125 million standard forty-pound boxes of fresh apples.  That's a 2.3% increase from 2020’s 122 million box crop, but down 7.2% from the 2019 crop of 134.5 million boxes.

THE WSTFA PRESIDENT SAYS THE HEAT THIS SUMMER IMPACTED THE CROP

Jon DeVaney, The Washington State Tree Fruit Association President says "the 2021 Washington state apple crop looks to be similar in size to last year’s crop.  Growing seasons are never the same, and currently many WSTFA members are still evaluating the impact of this summer’s adverse and variable weather conditions.  Members have made their best attempt to incorporate these factors, but with harvest just beginning and several months of unknown weather ahead, further reductions in the size of the forecasted crop are possible.” “In spite of these challenges, our growers anticipate meeting strong consumer demand with an ample and high-quality harvest.  This crop reflects the continued growth of new varieties to delight all consumer tastes combined with the high standards of quality that domestic and international consumers have come to expect.”

IF YOU LOVE GALA THERE'S LOTS COMING ON THE TREES

DeVaney says Gala, for the third year in a row is the most numerous variety at 21%. Red Delicious is projected at 16%, followed by Honeycrisp and Granny Smith at 14%, and Fuji at 13% of total production.  This year, Cosmic Crisp is forecast to come in at 3% of the total crop, a 114% increase from the 2020-21 crop, and Cripps Pink at 6%.
As for organic apple production? The forecast is 15.36 million boxes which is unchanged from the 15.6 million boxes in the 2020 apple crop.