New York State ‘SnapDragon’ Apple Production up 25%
October 5, 2022 Growers across New York state are now handpicking ‘SnapDragon’ apples, a Crunch Time Apple Growers apple and the official apple of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
“Perfectly timed rain and cool evenings are making for a beautiful crop, with great color, perfect size, and phenomenal flavor. We’re very excited about this year’s crop,” Jessica Wells, Crunch Time Apple Growers Executive Director, says.
Crunch Time Apple Growers, a group of more than 150 New York state-based growers, indicate this year’s crop has increased by 25%, thanks to trees planted a few years ago that are now producing apples. That trend should continue for Crunch Time, as some growers are in their final year of the most recent ‘SnapDragon’ apple acreage increase, which will allow production to continue to increase steadily as the new plantings mature over the next few years.
Last season sales of ‘SnapDragon’ were up more than 30% overall and 40% among Crunch Time’s top retailers. As ‘SnapDragon’ kicks off this year’s harvest with a larger crop and a new partnership with the Buffalo Bills, who are strong Super Bowl contenders this year, sales are expected to outpace last season’s.
‘SnapDragon’ apples were developed by Dr. Susan Brown of Cornell University in Geneva, NY. Commercially, all of the apples are grown in New York, which Wells says gives the variety a competitive advantage over West Coast premium apples – such as Washington state growers’ ‘Cosmic Crisp’ – in terms of more cost-effective transportation to primary selling regions, delivering apples quicker and enabling lower shelf prices.
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