Recent Rains Benefit New York State Apple Sales & Their Growers
August 21, 2018 | 3 min to read
In the news recently, reports of severe rain storms – that settled in over upstate and central New York – have caused massive flooding and damage to property, but for the apple crop, the rain was a benefit. Most growing areas were not in the path of the heaviest downpours, as much as 9 inches in certain areas, but rather received between .5 and up to 4.5 inches. Those amounts were perfect for apples.
Matt Wells, Director of Field Operations for New York Apple Sales, along with Dan Ingersoll, both report that the much-needed rain will greatly enhance the quality of this year’s crop. “The 2018 crop was in great shape prior to the recent weather patterns, a very clean crop that was developing nicely. The rain was a bonus that will help us finish off the crop, to perfection,” said Wells.
Dan Ingersoll, NYAS Field Scout remarked “I have been scouting and managing orchards for over 30 years, and the 2018 crop is one of the best I have seen. Usually we have a few varieties, that for one reason or another, will have some problems. This year, however, everything looks to be strong and clean. The crop is on schedule and growing nicely and the taste and appearance should be exceptional.”
New York Apple Sales is the largest and most geographically diverse shipper in the Eastern US. “Having orchards and shipping locations in all of the four major growing and packing regions of the state, help us provide consistent offerings for our customers,” remarked Kaari Stannard, President and Owner of NYAS. “While one area may be dryer than normal, other regions can make up the difference in size and volume. Luckily our growers all practice the latest horticultural trends, using irrigation and other growing techniques to assure the best possible crop,” she added.
“We are really excited about our special varieties such as SnapDragon, KORU, Premier Honeycrisp, EverCrisp and SweeTango. At this stage, they look awesome,” said John Cushing, VP of Marketing for NYAS. “We are ready to go, and anxious to kick of the sales year. We have now started shipping from the Hudson Valley, and soon the remainder of the state will start to harvest
Ginger Gold and early red summer apples are being packed. Next up will be Gala, as well as another traditional regional favorite, McIntosh, with Honeycrisp quickly following,” added Cushing.
New York Apple Sales has been preparing for this season since the first of the year, with new staff, new packaging, new equipment, and new marketing plans. Jim Allen, VP of Marketing commented “We will be going to market this year with a tool box full of programs for retailers to use to help grow sales in the apple category, especially for in our NY-Grown category. We realize that last season, apple sales across the country were off, due to large volumes of smaller than normal apples from the West Coast, and we want to help correct the trend for the coming season.”
Additionally, New York Apple Sales has teamed up with a regional strong brand in the industry, Red Jacket Orchards, Geneva, NY to market the “RJO” apple label. Red Jacket is a powerhouse in the fresh Cold Pressed Juice category, with presence in markets coast to coast. Both RJO and NYAS will find common synergies to help better serve their customers.
Source: New York Apple Sales