Market Watch
Apple crop was smaller than forecast, partly because hot weather slowed sizing, but overall, quality was good, though not exceptional.
T
his was the year that taught all growers you cannot pick according to dates on a
calendar.
You actually have to be out in the vineyard or orchard monitoring maturity by using a variety of tests— weeks or even months before you expect it to be ready to harvest. And, then you have to believe those tests when they tell you it’s very close, or at maturity, instead of figuring “there must be some mistake,” or “I never pick this early and I’m not going to now.” Denial did no favours this year for growers who refused to pay close attention, through regular, frequent inspection of fruit, and let it go too long before preparing to pick. Careful growers will be in good shape this year when returns for the 2015 harvest come in, predicts Hank Markgraf, grower services manager for the B.C. Tree Fruits Co-op. And, winemakers who are, or who have careful grape growers, will be similarly pleased with the flavours once they begin doing tank or barrel tasting.
Everyone agrees 2015 will go down in history as a pretty weird year for weather from spring through to fall, but then it reverted to normal. A lack of normal spring and a headlong gallop into summer, which then turned into a particularly hot and dry summer, created some interesting situations down on the farm though. Markgraf, a seasoned, second- generation orchardist, says he can’t recall ever being able to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner without worrying about fruit that was outside waiting to be picked. Even the Granny Smiths were in this year. Growers with Fujis and Pink Ladies
4 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2015-16
Lessons from a weird weather year By Judie Steeves
found they were ready to pick at a more-normal time, although half the co-op’s Pink Ladies were lost to the fresh market in a hailstorm and went into the commercial stream for crushing into cider, he notes. With this fall’s agreement to sell apple wine for LoneTree cider as well as the co-op’s own Broken Ladder cider, growers having apples graded Commercial will at least get better returns than those diverted for juice. Those higher returns help bring up the overall pool prices, which is to everyone’s benefit in the co-op, notes Markgraf.
However, he emphasizes that the BCTFC is first a fresh market fruit company, so the top prices will always go to growers producing the best quality fruit.
This year’s crop was smaller than forecast, partly because the summer’s hot weather slowed sizing, but overall, quality was good, though not exceptional. Much of the early fruit was sold early so there wouldn’t be any storage issues.
Prices are up because it’s a smaller crop both here and in Washington State, south of the border. The stronger prices mean growers may not notice that it was a smaller crop when it comes to their returns, comments Markgraf. And, those with a larger crop should do well when the pools close.
With good markets and growers making decent returns, there was a flood of applications at the deadline for replant program funds for the coming season, he notes. Growers are deciding to stay in business. With this year’s crop off and the results either in the marketplace or in storage, now’s the time to begin pruning in preparation for the next year’s crop, he advises.
December is a great month to get going on that winter chore, with trees dormant and not too much snow on the ground yet, he adds.
Take January off, finish pruning in February and then head to Kelowna for the annual Horticultural Forum Feb. 24.
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