The State of Today's Wholesale Apple Industry in the Hudson Valley
Dan Donahue, Tree Fruit Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
During our winter fruit conference program in February 2020, just prior to covid shutting down our in-person meetings, Mike Basedow and I devoted the entire second day to the question of "What apple variety should I plant?". After a full day of listening to growers, marketers, nursery producers, and academics tackle the question from different angles, the path towards future success remained fuzzy at best. The question has remained foremost in the minds of our Eastern New York producers and the answer continues to elude us. Today, for the first time in many years, nurseries have trees available for purchase without prior contracts and many producers have slowed or even delayed their replanting plans. With establishment costs heading north of 25K $$$ per acre and faced with the task of top-working young blocks of the last, but now past, new variety star to more reliable options begs the question: "What variety do I plant" or perhaps more telling, "should I be planting anything at all?"
The State of Today’s Wholesale Apple Industry in the Hudson Valley (pdf; 165KB)
Apples
Apricots
Asparagus
Beets
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cherries
Cucumbers
Dry Beans
Eggplant
Ethnic Vegetables
Garlic
Grapes
Horseradish
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce / Leafy Greens
Melons
Nectarines
Onions
Parsnips
Peaches
Pears
Peas
Peppers
Plums
Potatoes
Pumpkins / Gourds
Radishes
Raspberries / Blackberries
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Snap Beans
Squash - Summer
Squash- Winter
Strawberries
Sweet Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Upcoming Events
Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
March 6, 2026 : Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
Swede midge is an invasive fly that causes serious economic losses to brassica crops. Due to its small size and hidden feeding habits, swede midge is often called an "invisible pest" and damage may be misdiagnosed. In this webinar, we will review the swede midge life cycle and crop damage symptoms, current management recommendations, new research findings, and highlights from on-farm case studies with a focus on organic management.
New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People (Hudson Valley)
March 10, 2026 : New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People
Millbrook, NY
Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start? Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills? This one-day workshop is for you!
SPARC WSU Tree Fruit Heat School
March 11, 2026
As part of our multi-state SPARC SCRI project on mitigating orchard heat and cold stress, the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School will focus on understanding and managing heat-related challenges in apple and pear production. The program brings together research-based insights and applied discussions on sunburn physiology and mitigation, red color development in apples and pears, and the impacts of heat on postharvest storage and fruit quality. Each session will include an expert presentation, followed by a panel discussion with panelists from across the US.