Peter Forrence, vice president of Forrence Orchards in Peru, NY, told The Produce News Aug. 10 that the company’s apple crop is sufficient this year.

“We just have to get the fruit off of the trees and assess them,” said Mr. Forrence. “We won’t know precisely what we will have to distribute until mid- to late September.”

Harvesting at Forrence Orchards typically starts Sept. 1, and once the company has packed some cases, it will be able to offer a clear determination of the condition of the apples.

The company’s top apple variety continues to be the McIntosh, but Mr. Forrence said that other newer varieties are growing in demand.

“People like the tart-sweet flavor of the McIntosh versus the sweeter varieties,” he said. “The Honeycrisp continues to grow in demand. It has a sort of cult following and people are including it on their tables because of its unique flavor. Our Cortland apples are also growing in popularity. We are also involved in producing the NY1 and NY2, which are small club varieties. There isn’t much production yet, but both are really nice apples, and they’re growing in demand quickly.”

Mr. Forrence acknowledged that late-spring frosts and scattered hail storms contributed to the shortage in the New York apple crop this year, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported will be down by 54 percent from its five-year average. But the major concern in early August was the need for rainfall.

“We have had a little of everything this year,” he said. “Some frost, but not much in our orchards. Some hail, but also not much for us. The biggest issue we’re facing right now is the limited rainfall we’ve had for the last six weeks. We got a little yesterday [Aug. 9], but we need more. Some nice rains will really help to size the apples up before harvesting.”

Years of experience speak to the success of Forrence Orchards. Mr. Forrence said that the company was already in the apple business when the legendary Johnny Appleseed was spreading apple seeds throughout regions of the Northeast in the early 1800s.

“Forrence Orchards was founded in 1833,” he said. “Since then, the company has progressed consistently through multiple generations. Today four members from two generations of the Forrence family operate the company.”

Mr. Forrence’s cousin, Mason, is the company president. Another cousin, McIntosh (Mac), is vice president. Seth Forrence, Mason’s son, is in management at the company. Seth Forrence is the third generation of Forrence family members to graduate from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Today he uses his degree in pomology, and a minor in business, to help guide him in the management of the company’s orchard.

Mr. Forrence said that export demand will be strong this year and the pressure is on because supplies are down by 14 percent nationwide, according to the USDA.

“In my experience, I’ve never known of an offshore customer who was willing to pay a higher price for apples than they did the previous year,” he said. “Pricing on the domestic market will be higher, but we have to be very careful and avoid being exuberant with our pricing. People will only pay so much for an apple, and if it goes higher than that, they’ll start looking for alternatives.”