Q&A on the 2026 Michigan Apple Crunch with MSU Extension Educator, Kelly McClelland Horton
Print
EmailThe Michigan Apple Crunch is hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and the Michigan Farm to Institution Network to promote National Farm to School Month and celebrate Michigan-grown apples. Learn more and register your crunch!
The Michigan Apple Crunch is an annual event hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and the Michigan Farm to Institution Network to promote National Farm to School Month and celebrate Michigan-grown apples. This year, the Michigan Apple Committee joined the fun to promote and celebrate the iconic Michigan apple. Each year, the Michigan Apple Crunch encourages healthy eating, promotes farm-to-school purchasing, and supports the Michigan apple industry by inviting schools, early care and education (ECE) sites, non-profits, businesses, and individuals to collectively crunch a Michigan apple on Crunch Day. This year's Crunch Day is Thursday, October 15, but participants are also welcome to celebrate their crunch at any point throughout the month of October.
In September 2026, May Tsupros, Director of Farm to Institution Programs at MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, had a conversation with Kelly McClelland Horton of MSU Extension about the Michigan Apple Crunch! Kelly was a critical part of the 2026 rebrand in partnership with the Michigan Apple Committee and has been working to elevate (and celebrate) the cherished Michigan apple since she started at MSU Extension in 2022.
Keep reading for a fun and in-depth vantage point of this special Michigan annual event.
Why is the Michigan apple so beloved and special to this state? What are some fun facts about Michigan apples (or just apples in general)?
McClelland Horton: Michigan produces a lot of apples! Because of our unique climate and nutrient-rich soil, Michigan is an ideal place for apples to grow. Michigan's apple growers grow over one billion pounds of apples each year, with apple production taking place across most of the state. This year (2026) is an especially fruitful year for our state's apple growers, so there's a lot to celebrate!
How exactly did you partner with the Michigan Apple Committee this year and how has this partnership brought new energy to “the crunch”?
McClelland Horton: We're so excited that the Michigan Apple Committee is partnering in such a big way this year. It all started when Katie Franz, their Creative Brand Specialist, reached out to see how Michigan Apples could better support the Crunch. It was good timing, since we were in transition from receiving regional support for the Apple Crunch to Michigan's Crunch being its own independent effort.
The Michigan Apple Committee has devoted time and resources to creating a refreshed Michigan Apple Crunch logo, Crunch Guide, webpage, and social media presence. A few things they've created that I'm especially excited about are an Apple Crunch promo video, a pinterest page with TONS of ideas to celebrate Michigan apples, and a list of brands that use Michigan apples to make apple juice, applesauce, apple cider and pre-sliced apples for those can't crunch into a whole apple (found in the Crunch Guide).
Be sure to check out the Michigan Apples website for the latest Apple Crunch resources, as well as info about Michigan's impressive apple industry.
We know apples are good for us, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away and all”... Beyond this, what is the WHY behind promoting the apple crunch? Can you tell us more about “local” and how it helps farmers and kids?
McClelland Horton: Prioritizing local food is important because it keeps money in the local economy, requires less energy to transport, results in less nutrient density lost in transport, often produces less waste, and supports the farmers right here in our communities.
Apples are a great first step in local food purchasing. They're nutritious, universally loved, and easy to serve. Michigan grown apples are available from distributors, retailers, and food hubs for most of the year. The Apple Crunch is often a spark that encourages an institution to develop relationships and practices that support local purchasing of other foods.
If you haven't yet explored purchasing local food, you can use the Crunch to start a relationship with a local distributor, farmer, or food hub and then explore what other Michigan-grown foods you might want to purchase.
How can Michiganders, old and young, get involved in the apple crunch this year?
McClelland Horton: Plan a crunch celebration at your school, ECE site, workplace, senior center, community organization or wherever you can gather with others to celebrate Michigan apples! The official crunch day is Thursday, October 15, but you can crunch anytime in October to be counted in our Michigan Apple Crunch total. Crunches can be big or small, as long as they include your group all crunching into Michigan-grown apples at once. No matter what, be sure to register your Crunch so that you are counted in our statewide total — last year more than 166,000 Michiganders joined in on the fun!
Registering your Crunch also makes sure you receive a copy of this year's updated Crunch Guide. The guide has recipes, creative ideas for celebrating your crunch, and information about sourcing Michigan apples for crunches of all sizes.
Okay, here is a fun one: can you share your favorite apple memory and/or your favorite apple recipe?
McClelland Horton: This is a great question! I would have to say my best apple memory is from helping my great grandpa in his orchard and enjoying the apples fresh off the tree. He had a small hobby orchard and a HUGE vegetable garden, which is where my love of food started.
When I was home from college for spring break one March, I helped my grandpa prune the orchard in the snow. I thought I did a really great job and followed his instructions perfectly. I later learned that the next day he pulled the ladder and pruners back out to do it all over again the correct way. Having him on a ladder was what we were trying to avoid!
No matter if my pruning technique was correct or not, I'm grateful for that experience that taught me about the work and skill that goes into growing something as common as an apple.
Also, Kelly, WHO ARE YOU? Your job just isn’t just to convince all us Michiganders to each crunch local apples, what other great programs are you involved in and/or should we know about?
McClelland Horton: In addition to being excited about apples, I get to support a variety of other local food systems projects. I'm a Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension, primarily serving the Flint and Saginaw Bay region. I'm also able to support fun statewide projects – like the Apple Crunch!
Some other projects I work on include providing guidance for groups interested in starting a school or community garden, supporting the Flint & Genesee Food Policy Council, connecting farmers with new places to sell their products, and educating consumers about the value of shopping local and eating seasonally. My job really is a ton of fun!
Any final thoughts or pearls...er, apples (!) of wisdom for the reader?
McClelland Horton: If there's any way you can build thanking an apple grower into your Crunch this year, I encourage you to do that! I've seen classrooms write thank you letters to growers or create beautifully artistic thank you cards. Or consider inviting an apple grower to an all-school crunch and sharing a resounding "thank you."
Farming isn't easy, and sharing gratitude for the people who grow and care for our food is always appreciated!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to share and happy Apple Crunching!
More information about the Michigan Apple Crunch
About Michigan Farm to Institution Network
The Michigan Farm to Institution Network (MFIN) helps people across the farm to institution supply chain learn, connect, and collaborate. Since 2014, we have provided a space for learning, sharing, and working together to help farm to institution programs grow in Michigan. Learn more: mifarmtoinstitution.org
About Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems
The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems advances regionally-rooted food systems through applied research, education, and outreach. We do this by uniting the knowledge and experience of diverse stakeholders with that of MSU faculty and staff. Our work fosters a thriving economy, equity, and sustainability for Michigan, the nation, and the planet by advancing systems that produce food that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable. Learn more: foodsystems.msu.edu
