For the first time in more than three decades, visitors to Nelson's Apple Farm in Webster, Minn., won't be able to pick their own apples this fall. That's because the crop has been so decimated that owner Ross Nelson will have to save his surviving apples for the farmer's market.
Instead, he and a few other growers are arranging to ship in fruit to sell at their orchards. "We'll be upfront about it," he said. "We'll still have wagon rides and a corn maze. Hopefully, our customers will continue to come."
This year's apple crop suffered "major damage" according to an update from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The damage occurred after a balmy March jump-started the bloom cycle, then freezing temperatures in April nipped the delicate blossoms at a critical stage.
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