Oregon Public Broadcasting

Northwest apple growers had a record harvest this year. So many in fact they might have trouble selling them. Richland correspondent Anna King reports.

Washington apple producers had their last record year back in 2004. That’s when they hauled in about 104 million boxes of apples. But this year apple farmers appear to have broken that record.

They picked 9 million more boxes than in 2004. The only problem with harvesting all that fruit is selling it.

So says Desmond O’Rourke, a retired Washington State University ag economist and a consultant.

Desmond O’Rourke: "The apple industry across the country is going to have to take pretty drastic steps to move this crop. I don’t think marketing as usual is going to do it."

O’Rourke says in the current economy countries that buy Northwest apples are likely to have trouble getting credit to buy as much fruit as they usually do. He expects that glut to drive down apple prices.