APPLETON, N.Y. — Severe Weather poses a major threat to apples, one of the largest industries along Lake Ontario.
Farmers grow apples along Lake Ontario as it provides prime growing conditions.
Jim Bittner is a partner at Bittner Singer Orchards in Appleton, N.Y. He said that since their apple trees don't bloom until late April/early May they avoid spring frosts.
They don't harvest the apples until September and October though, leaving plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong.
Bittner said, "We don't go to Las Vegas, we gamble every day. We put all this effort out into these trees, starting in the winter pruning and all through the year. Hopefully, we can reap the benefits in September and October when harvest comes around,".
One of those possible risks is hail, which can be detrimental to an apple crop.
Something that farmers in Orleans County had to deal with last week when severe thunderstorms and hail blew through. "Hail is my biggest fear, 30 seconds of hail would just wipe us out," Bittner said. "It doesn't matter if there is one hail mark or their cut wide open. A ding is a ding and it is now an apple that can't be sold in the grocery stores."
In Niagara County, Bittner is glad to have avoided that hail and did say that they tend to overproduce apples, so the consumer won't notice that so many apples were lost. He mentioned that those apples can still be used for juice and apple sauce but can't be sold as is anymore.