Apple Growers Have A Positive Outlook

Following an already challenging year for apple production, the weather will continue to play a major role in yields growers see in 2022.

Steve Louis, Owner of Oakwood Fruit Farm in Richland Center, says that growers across the country are all at different stages of production, but it is too early to say exactly what will happen this growing season.

Weather is not, however, the only challenge for apple production in Wisconsin. 

Louis says that the supply chain will have a major impact on growers, especially for those who are looking to start a new orchard. From herbicides to treated trellis posts needed for planting, he says some items have been out of stock for months, or require reservations long in advance. 

Despite weather and pandemic related challenges, he says that this year’s buds are just starting to move, which is a positive sign for the industry. Later blooming buds will survive better through the cold snaps and snow Wisconsin has seen this April, and Louis says as long as the weather turns around, growers will be sitting in a good place for production.

For more information on Oakwood Fruit Farm, visit their website at https://www.oakwoodfruitfarm.com/.