ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300011
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: STEPHENS CITY
SOURCE: Associated Press
A season of severe weather has caused Virginia's apple crop to fall about 25 percent from last year's, orchardists said.
Consumers will pay a bit more for their apples this fall, but not enough to offset the losses that the weather has brought many apple growers. Prices are strong, but there aren't enough apples to overcome bottom-of-the barrel yields at many farms.
``Anybody who has good-sized apples for the processors is going to be in good shape, but I'm under the impression that most of us are having trouble with that,'' said Ruth Rinker, who has run Rinker Orchards in Frederick County since 1948.
``I can't remember in my lifetime - and recall that I was raised in the business - a year like this.''
Rinker listed several scourges that hit apple orchards:
* A late-spring freeze zapped much of the crop at a crucial time, reducing size and yield.
* A shortage of bees reduced pollination, meaning fewer blossoms set fruit.
* Excessive rain forced trees to expend energy fighting moisture-loving diseases.
* Hail in some areas pitted and pocked the tender apples, a problem for an industry where beauty is often only skin deep.
* Winds and rain from Hurricane Fran shook ripening apples to the ground and toppled mature trees.
A lack of apples means the pick-your-own season has ended early at Rinker Orchards, a favorite among Washington-area suburbanites. Rinker and her son, Dudley, also sell retail, make cider and produce apples for processors.
In Southwest Virginia, the outcome of this year's apple crop has varied from place to place.
Darrell Worley, a Patrick County grower, said his crop was off more than half because of a spring freeze, a lack of bees, and Hurricane Fran. ``I don't know what we're going to do,'' he said. ``It seems like everything is working against us.''
Glenn Reed, a grower on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, said his crop overall was down about 25 percent, but the production of some varieties, such as Red and Golden Delicious and Stamens, was off by a half. Cloudy days in July and August hurt the size of his apples, Reed said.
But at Ikenberry Orchards in Botetourt County, Jim Ikenberry said this year's crop was about normal. ``We're not down very much,'' he said.
The biggest problem, Ikenberry said, was that rain this fall has kept pickers out of the orchards and delayed the harvest. ``The apples this year, in general, are better this year than last year,'' he said.
The Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service said the state's apple growers will produce about 300 million pounds this fall, down from last year's 400 million-pound harvest. In an average year, growers crate about 375 million pounds.
Virginia is the sixth-largest apple-producing state, with crop sales last year of $33.5 million.
Staff writer Greg Edwards contributed to this report.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. Julio Nanes checks for bad applesby CNBTuesday afternoon at Ikenberry Orchards in Daleville. color.