They also prune and thin to assure yields and quality. In today's environment, harvest is somewhat dictated by labor supplies and varieties being grown. But a producer's cash flow also impacts how they want their crop harvested, stored and sold. Schotzko says survival in the economic times just ahead will require growers to focus on three things. As the market grows more specialized, Schotzko says orchardists may need to deal with several warehouses, instead of delivering all their fruit to one.
Local environments vary.
Some are better for some types of apples than for others. Even in a single, large orchard, some areas may be more favorable, or unfavorable for a specific strain or variety. Orchardists must be able to produce top quality fruit to survive. U.S. extra fancy is the second highest quality of apples. Growers left 10-14 million boxes of the 1998 apple crop in field because prices were low and the fruit graded low because of sunburn.