The apple harvest is underway at Columbia Marketing International, located in Wenatchee, WA. “We’re packing our first Galas today,” Vice President of Marketing Bob Mast told The Produce News on Aug. 21.

As is true for other Washington apple producers, CMI has only begun the process of assessing actual damage to its 2012-2013 crop following the July 20 hailstorm. “We had a good-sized crop,” he commented. “We’re looking to get a good read on what can make it into the box. We’re optimistic there’s a nice crop out there to work with.”

Pacificpro Inc. is not expecting any major disruption to its apple marketing program this season. “Pacificpro works with a large percentage of the preeminent growers and packers statewide,”   said Vice President Randy Hartmann.

Suzanne Wolter, director of marketing for Rainier Fruit Co. in Yakima, WA, said apple producers continue to assess the condition of their crops in the aftermath of recent storms in Washington.

Despite problematic weather in the Pacific Northwest, L&M Cos., located in Union Gap, WA, is set to move a quality crop of Washington apples this season.

News from the CF Fresh apple grower network is setting a positive tone for the coming apple season. “Some of our growers were hit by the network of hail storms that struck Washington at the end of July,” Import Coordinator and Food Safety Officer Addie Pobst told The Produce News on Aug. 20. “Thankfully, most of our growers came through those storms relatively unscathed. Despite the hail storm, overall the growing season has been very favorable to producing high-quality organic apples.

Tracking closely with Washington state’s overall apple numbers, Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers of Wenatchee, WA, is seeing excellent volume despite hail and other weather issues earlier in the season.

In late August, Marketing Director Scott Marboe told The Produce News, “The state is still expecting the second largest crop in history. Washington did have a number of weather-related issues in June and early July, but that damage has cleaned itself out and helped us get numbers more accurate. We as a company still expect to be a little over 10 million cartons this coming season.”