Market Watch
Early spring, late frost result in one of the worst- ever crop losses for Ontario fruit industry, whose customers are now looking this way for product.
W
hat is bad news for orchardists in Eastern Canada and the U.S. could be good news for growers in the west this year, unfortunate as that may be.
With estimates of a 50-80 per cent crop loss due to an early warm spring and then a sudden, late heavy frost, some growers were wiped out in the Ontario and Michigan areas, while others sustained heavy losses. It damaged or destroyed much of Ontario’s $60 million apple crop and 20 to 30 per cent of the province’s $48 million tender fruit crop, affecting peaches, cherries, pears, plums and nectarines.
Brian Gilroy, a Georgian Bay area apple grower who is chairman of the Ontario Apple Growers, said the loss to fruit growers and the economy will easily be more than $100 million. On top of the lost yield or no crop at all, orchard workers and spinoff industries such as juice, packing, storage and farm supplies will be affected.
In a typical year, Ontario accounts for about 40 per cent of all the apples grown in Canada. Customers have already come knocking at the doors of B.C. Tree Fruits, looking for product come harvest time.
And, there’s every reason to believe the Okanagan can fill those orders, for both cherries and apples, with forecasts of larger crops for both in the coming season, following an easy winter and ideal spring weather in this part of the country. Chris Pollock, marketing manager for BCTF, is forecasting an increase of 10 to 15 per cent in this year’s
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By Judie Steeves Eastern disaster bodes well for west
apple crop, but a doubling of the cherry crop to be handled by the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative, for which BCTF sells, to eight million pounds.
Cherry prices, he said, are expected to be similar to last year’s, which were close to those of the year before.
However, Christine Dendy, president of the Okanagan Kootenay Cherry Growers’ Association, was a little more conservative, estimating an increase of 30 to 50 per cent, in part because of additional acreage coming into production this year. Cherry growers in the southern part of the valley experienced a particularly sustained bloom period this year, while some of those in the northern half did experience some frost losses, she said.
That means there will likely be some cull fruit, unless it all falls off during the June drop.
In the south half of the valley, and parts of the north, hand-thinning to maintain firm, good-sized cherries will be essential for most growers, she noted.
Despite a snowball bloom this year in some apple orchards, crop estimates are not forecast to be
much higher than normal, although prices have been increasing. Prices for apples this year are up 7.5 per cent over last year, Pollock reported, and 13.8 per cent over the previous year, with Ambrosias up 17 per cent (and crop size up 20 to 25 per cent) and Gala prices up 5.7 per cent.
His forecast is that prices for apples will stay about the same level this year.
Last year’s larger-sized and better quality fruit resulted in higher prices from last year’s harvest, he noted. However, Pollock said the Washington State crop is forecast to be up as well, with a production of 120 million boxes anticipated, compared to 110 million last year and 108 million the previous year. By comparison, B.C.’s production is a drop in the bucket–in the neighbourhood of 3.5 million boxes. Pollock is optimistic that people’s desire to buy local will have an impact on B.C. and Western Canada sales, as it is a trend that has continued to make inroads. Chile and New Zealand have also experienced weather problems that are affecting their crops of Gala apples this year, he added.
PROFIT from your
CULLS
2505508885 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2012
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