Full bloom is underway in Pennsylvania for the upcoming 2025 apple crop. “It’s pretty on par with last year–there may be a week difference,” says Valerie Ramsburg of the Rice Fruit Company, adding that a month ago, the weather had put bloom about two weeks behind. “We’ve had some pretty warm days, which is fantastic for pollination and has a tendency to bump up the timing of harvest.”
As for the crop timing, Rice Fruit anticipates it to be a smooth transition from 2024 to new crop Pennsylvania apples. “If you can get the timing precise, the goal is to streamline the supply and smoothly transition into the 2025 harvest.”
Varietal notes
Through the summer, Rice Fruit Company will be managing supplies of Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith.
Current demand for Pennsylvania apples is steady, despite the variables that could impact apple market movement right now such as the economy or tariff concerns. “We are fortunate to market domestic fruit that has a wide variety of flavors to choose from. Apples store well, they’re portable and they offer well-rounded nutrition. From the school year, through the holidays and into summer vacations, apples hit the mark,” Ramsburg says, noting that when other items come on such as local stone fruit, it is the time for the apple industry to reset for the upcoming season. “When there is that transition period between the previous crop year and the new crop coming on, we take that as an opportunity to upgrade machinery and really fine-tune our programs for the upcoming season,” she says.
All of this is leaving pricing steady right now for apples, even with costs continuing to increase. “It’s important to have a solid pricing structure as we move forward,” adds Ramsburg.
For more information:
Valerie Ramsburg
Rice Fruit Company
[email protected]
www.ricefruit.com
