Remaining optimistic
Growers facing issues affecting returns on 2023 apple crop
“We had a rough storage year. Because of all the rain we had, a lot of the apples bruised in storage, and the quality has not been as good as we were hoping and grower returns are way down.” Emily Lutz
Peach growers are hopeful for a better year in 2024 after the polar vortex in February 2023 wiped out much of the crop before it even had a chance to start growing.
Emily Lutz, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association, said April 10 there is optimism that most of the peach trees will recover from the damage.
“It does look like it’s going to be a good recovery,” she said. “But, weather in Nova Scotia is all over the place and a lot could change between now and August when we harvest the peaches.”
But the vortex wasn’t the only thing that affected fruit growers last year. While apple yields were good and storm damage was minimal, the constant rain last year caused issues.
“We had a rough storage year. Because of all the rain we had, a lot of the apples bruised in storage, and the quality has not been as good as we were hoping and grower returns are way down,” Lutz said.
“There are a lot of growers feeling stressed about the returns their apples are giving because of the weather conditions at harvest time and in the late summer and fall … and the resulting consequences that had for the crop.”
Adding to the difficulties was an average year for apple growers in the state of Washington after a couple of poor seasons.
“What we’re seeing is a tremendous amount of honeycrisps coming from Washington over the border and being sold, and they have a lot still in storage,” Lutz said. “So, they’re sitting on a huge volume of apples that they’re dumping into Canada and into our markets.”
That is depressing the price for honeycrisps here, so prices have been “atrocious” for Nova Scotia growers, Lutz said. It has all combined to make a perfect storm of negative factors.
“I think everyone is happy to have 2023 in the rear-view mirror and are hopeful for a better crop this year,” she said.
Because so much of the apple crop is sold after Christmas, Lutz said growers can’t get a true picture of how they did until the spring, and by then it’s too late for agriculture aid packages designed for the previous calendar year.