USDA Expects A Smaller Apple Crop This Year

As apple harvest ramps up across the Northwest, USDA says this year's national crop is expected to be smaller.

"If realized, the 2026 crop falls 6% below last year and 1% below the previous five-year average," noted USDA research economist Catharine Weber.  She added the decline this year follows production drops in five of the seven mass surveyed states.

Here on the West Coast, as well as Michigan, the apple crop is expected to be right in line with the five-year average.

"Washington remains the dominant apple producer with a forecast of 7.4 billion pounds, 2% below 2025, but still 6% above the recent five-year average," Weber said.

She added apple-growing regions that struggled this year, including the Mid-Atlantic, saw notable freeze-related problems just after bloom.  In fact, for Virginia this is projected to be the smallest in more than five decades.

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