Apple Growers Needed
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EmailTell us about the challenges impacting your apple orchard.
The Apple Grower Survey has been developed to identify and quantify the frequency and impacts of shock events on Michigan apple production. The results of the survey will be valuable in developing decision-making tools that can help farmers manage risks and guide adaptation and mitigation strategies. It will also aid advocacy groups as they support producers in the industry - one of the largest agriculture industries in Michigan.
According to the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS), Michigan produced 1.2 billion pounds of apples in 2024 making it the third largest apple-producing state in the US and making apples the most valuable fruit crop in Michigan. Despite this astounding success, Michigan farmers are always working to overcome challenges that threaten their production systems. In 2012, a late April frost hit apple orchards right after they came into bloom. According to MSU apple harvest reports, this unseasonal frost caused apple harvests to be 88.4% lower than normal levels with one orchard reporting to NPR that they “could only harvest 1 percent of their 30 acres of apples.”
Even though the 2012 frost is the most severe Michigan crop loss on record, there are still “shock” events that impact apple production from one year to the next. For instance, based on USDA NASS data, since 2007, there have been four years where growers production was one-third of normal levels. These shocks can include weather events, pest outbreaks, or economic events and cause serious challenges for apple growers every year. Over the past several decades, apple growers have experienced unseasonally high temperatures at harvest
time. Apple scab outbreaks, COVID-19, and many more shock events have forced growers to alter their operations to maintain their production.
Michigan apple growers have become used to these yearly challenges and have learned how to cope with them. However, when multiple shock events occur in the same growing season or in back-to-back growing seasons they become harder to overcome. Despite the significant challenges posed by shock events, there is no comprehensive database of shock location, frequency, or changes over time. We also do not know how often farmers face multiple shock events in a single or back-to-back growing season and how this impacts their operation. To better understand the shock events that are impacting farmers and find possible mitigation options, a USDA research project wants to hear from Michigan apple growers about the major historical events that have impacted their operations as well as future concerns.
To gather this information, a questionnaire was developed to identify and quantify the frequency and impacts of shock events on Michigan apple production, assess how producers were affected by individual and multiple shocks, and explore management and adaptation strategies. For this research, a shock is defined as an unexpected event that can substantially affect production and farm revenue, and, in extreme cases, can result in changes to production practices. Multiple shocks are defined as one or more shocks in a single production year or two consecutive production years, such as the co-occurrence or sequential occurrence of extreme weather events or pest outbreaks.
The researchers hope to use questionnaire responses to develop decision-making tools that can help farmers manage risks and guide adaptation and mitigation strategies. The collected information will help industry groups to support advocacy for the Michigan apple industry. Additionally, they plan on making a dashboard where farmers can learn about the challenges being faced by other apple growers within their county and across the state. Through this collaborative effort, MSU hopes to learn about and catalog the major events that have caused challenges for apple growers and find effective mitigation strategies for the future.
If you are a Michigan apple grower who is interested in participating in this project please complete the anonymous survey Apple Grower Survey (https://tinyurl.com/3n789d8d). If you would like to receive results for your county or have any questions, please email Joris Van Zeghbroeck at vanjoris@msu.edu. Through your participation in this project, we can help ensure that the strong history of Michigan apple production continues for many generations to come.
