Door County Apple Crop Fares Better Than Most

The weird spring weather that devastated the local cherry crop didn’t hit apples with the same force.

Although apple trees saw a lot of blossom damage, as much as 30 to 60 percent, they’re still in pretty good shape according to Matt Stasiak, superintendent at the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station.

Orchardists thin apple blossoms heavily to keep the fruit fat and tasty, so natural blossom loss just isn’t as big of a deal.

“I have probably 70 percent of what I would consider an ideal crop,” Stasiak said.

As a whole, Door County apples have fared better than those around the state and the country. Stasiak said crops in Michigan, New York and southern Wisconsin suffered a 90 percent loss, so suppliers in those states are now looking for new sources of the fruit.

“I’m sure I could sell all of my apples outside the peninsula this year if I wanted to,” Stasiak said.

Despite faring better than most of the country, Tim Siehr, director of the USDA’s Kewaunee and Door County Farm Service Agency, said over 30 percent of the crop was lost.

For Donald Richmond of Richmond Orchard in Sturgeon Bay the weather damage didn’t end there. He was already running a small crop, just half of his normal volume, when his orchard was hit with a hailstorm.

“I got hit by hail besides,” Richmond said. “Of the 50 percent [left] of my crop, about 30 percent was damaged by hail.”

That leaves about 20 percent to sell at the market.

“People come [to Door County] to buy cherries or apples,” Richmond said. “If you don’t have them, there’s going to be less dollars in your pocket… It’s always something that seems to bite into your income.”

An apple shortage could affect the price of the crop, even bringing prices up to twice as much as normal.

Stasiak said some apples, like the popular honeycrisp variety, could sell for as much as $100 per bushel, or 48 pounds. That’s a lot higher than the normal price of $20 or $30.

“I’m kind of in a hard place,” Stasiak said. “I don’t know what to charge people.”

And confusion doesn’t end there. Stasiak said this year’s apples are ready earlier than normal – before they’re even on customers’ minds.

“A lot of people aren’t looking for apples in the middle of August,” Stasiak said. “People don’t think apples until after Labor Day.”