Vienna, Va. – Gathering on the eve of this year's harvest, the U.S. apple industry has forecast its smallest crop since 1986, and industry watchers say the 2002 apple crop's quality and variety will be among the best in recent memory.

Apple industry leaders from across the United States who gathered late last week in Chicago at the U.S. Apple Association's (USApple) 2002 Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference projected the 2002 U.S. apple crop to total 213.3 million bushels. While smaller than usual, fruit quality and the varietal mix of this year's crop are reported to be excellent from coast to coast, which should attract consumers and yield higher returns for growers, USApple analysts said.

USApple's 2002 crop forecast is smaller than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2002 forecast of 219.2 million bushels released earlier this month, and is 15 percent lower than USDA's average of the past five crop years of 251.9 million bushels. USApple's 2002 forecast is also 7 percent smaller than USDA's final estimate for the 2001 crop of 229.3 million bushels. This year's smaller crop is attributed to devastating weather in some key growing areas, including late frost and summer wind storms.

"This year's crop is a winner for everybody, consumer and industry alike," said USApple Vice President James (Jim) R. Cranney, Jr. "Consumers will enjoy the great quality and variety of this year's crop, and there will be plenty of apples to go around. Meanwhile, little if any 2001 crop carryover, combined with this year's manageable crop size and its great quality, should generate higher returns per bushel for growers."

Industry watchers said the 2002 crop is excellent quality and has outstanding varietal selection, guaranteed to please consumers. While Red Delicious and Golden Delicious remain firmly planted at the top of the list of varieties grown, and historic varieties like McIntosh are perennial favorites, U.S. growers are diversifying to provide even greater consumer choice. Popular new varieties include Braeburn, Cameo, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady.

"Every variety brings something different to the table," punned Cranney. "This year is going to be a great year for consumers to try all the different apple varieties, there's a flavor for everyone."

As harvest gets underway in full scale in the weeks ahead, USApple also announced plans to get the 2002 apple marketing season started at a healthy pace – figuratively and literally. The association's public relations program will focus on generating media coverage of apples and their health benefits, while its National Apple Month promotion program will create seasonal in-store excitement. USApple's "An Apple A Day, Every Day" 2002 harvest promotion was just released to food and health reporters nationwide, providing 2002 crop news, recapping recent health benefits news and providing "how to" information designed to get consumers to achieve their "apple a day" goal, for better health. Concurrently, the apple industry's only national generic promotion, National Apple Month, is encouraging thousands of apple retailers and commissaries to expand their seasonal apple displays, and to feature the health message in their promotional activities, as they vie for top promotional honors and cash prizes.

"These programs are working together beautifully, first to place apples top of mind with consumers for their better health through the media, then to encourage them to act on that information and buy more apples when they see a big, appetizing display in-store," said Cranney. "In the process, everyone benefits, consumer and grower alike."

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include more than 450 individual firms involved in the apple business, as well as 40 state apple associations representing the 9,000 apple growers throughout the country. The U.S. Apple Association's mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.