Grant County surpasses Yakima County in number of apple trees

No longer does Yakima County have more apple trees than any other county in the state.

We may still have more acreage. But Grant County has more trees in the ground -- more than 19 million, compared with 18 million in Yakima County.

The higher number reflects denser planting in Grant County, which could supplant Yakima as the state's top apple-producing county.

In Grant County, orchards have almost 500 trees per acre, compared with fewer than 400 trees per acre in Yakima County, where development is encroaching into farm areas. Yakima and Grant counties have 48,776 and 39,330 acres of apple orchards, respectively.

The numbers are included in the latest tree census conducted by the state Department of Agriculture.

Regardless of where the fruit is grown, this season is shaping up to be well worth the wait. This year's harvest is getting off to a late start, thanks to a cool spring across the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys and the Columbia Basin.

But a manageable crop size and a strong end to last year's crop point to good returns for growers this year.

The question marks are fruit size and the potential frost threat to varieties such as Pink Lady and Fuji, which are harvested later.

"The overall yield will be a little bit smaller because of the cold weather and we didn't get as much pollination as we would have hoped," said Mike Bush, tree-fruit extension agent in Yakima County. "I do anticipate the overall size of the apples to be a bit smaller than years before."

The 2007 season is still wrapping up with good prices, according to the Washington Growers Clearinghouse in Wenatchee, which tracks prices for its members.

A small quantity of 2007 Red Delicious apples is being sold for about $30 per box.

The first apple variety to be picked in any volume this year is Gala, under harvest in the upper Yakima Valley and the Columbia Basin.

Dan Kelly, clearinghouse manager, said limited data from two weeks of reporting shows average prices for Gala at nearly $30 per box.

"We have a good mix of old and new crop at this point. It is good to have some old crop as the new crop is coming in," he said.

George Allan of Allan Bros. of Naches, a grower, packer and shipper with acreage in both districts, said the early picking is showing good fruit quality and good color.

The 2008 crop, according to the Aug. 1 estimate by the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association and the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, is projected at more than 99 million boxes for fresh sale. The estimate is about 1 million boxes higher than the indicated 2007 crop.

In Yakima, at well-known Johnson Orchards, the harvest has begun. Eric Johnson, who operates the century-old family business, is optimistic about the season. He said fruit size on the Gala apples he has harvested so far has been good.

"I have wonderful size. The weather has been perfect," he said. "It feels like apple season in August."

* David Lester can be reached at 577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com

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