2017 Apple Harvest Sets New State Record At 142 Million Boxes

The 2017 apple harvest was the largest in Washington history. The State Tree Fruit Association released their post-harvest report, which estimates the state produced more than 142.3 million 40-pound boxes of apples. That beat out the previous record of 141 million boxes set in 2014.
Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission, told KOHO records have been broken three of the last five harvests. Fryhover said acreage in the state devoted to apples has continually increased since 2011, primarily new, higher-density orchards. Essentially, more trees in tighter spaces, what Fryhover called “economics per acre.”
He said most apple orchards are in the Yakima Valley, followed by the Columbia Basin, then the Okanogan and Chelan Valleys and the Wenatchee Valley.