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Story & Photos by Ken Graham
A Few Words About Apples
•In 2005, the average American consumed nearly 50 pounds of apples. About half was in the form of juice, and most of the rest were fresh apples.
•Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 million tons of apples are grown in the U.S. each year.
•The U.S. had net exports of nearly half a million tons of apples in 2004.
•Believe it or not, Washington State produces well over half of U.S.-grown apples – about three million tons in 2004. New York State was second in apple production that year with a bit over 600,000 tons.
•In 2008, Warren Orchards, one of two commercial fruit-growing operations in Columbia County, will ship over 1,000 tons of apples and pears.
(All of these statistics, except the last one, come from the USDA.)
Columbia County is obviously a very small player in Washington's fruit market, but it has a long history. In the early 1900s, at least a dozen orchards in the county were producing apples, pears and other fruit crops. Remnants of several fruit packing facilities can still be seen in the Touchet River Valley between Dayton and Waitsburg.
When Bob Warren bought a small apple orchard along the North Touchet River, about four miles south of Dayton, in 1963, fruit production in Columbia County had already been dropping for several years. "The orchard was leased out, but it still paid for itself," says Bob.
After leasing to a series of tenants, and buying more land in the 1970s, Bob Warren turned management of the orchard over to his son Bill in 1994. "I was young and recently out of college," says Bill. "And I had lots of energy."
At that time, the apple trees were getting old and the varieties they grew were those old standby varieties, Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious and Rome. The orchard also produced Bartlett, Bosc and D'Anjou pears. An oversupply of Red and Yellow Delicious Apples made for a high level of price variation and led to some very unprofitable years.
So, starting in 1999, the Warrens began introducing new apple varieties to the orchard. The Warrens now produce a long list of fruit varieties for commercial sale. These include Gala, Honeycrisp, Yellow Delicious, Red Delicious, Cameo, Breaburn, Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Rome Beauty. The orchard also still produces Bartlett, D'Anjou and Bosc pears. "Over the years, the pears have actually been more profitable," says Bill. "They really seem to thrive in this valley, with high quality and high yields."
According to Bill, producing a wide variety of fruit provides protection from sudden changes in prices for one variety, and also allows for a longer harvesting time, since different varieties ripen at different times. "We can keep a smaller number of pickers employed for a longer period of time," says Bill.
Warren Orchards employs about 25 people during the harvest season, from late August until the end of October. This includes a foreman and two assistants, plus more than 20 pickers. "We're able to keep a crew of 15 employed at least nine or ten months out of the year," says Bill. During the winter, crews move through the orchard pruning the trees before buds form in the spring. In early summer those same crews go back through the orchard and thin the young fruit. "Thinning allows the remaining apples or pears to grow into well colored fruit that's in demand by consumers," says Bill. "That helps us maximize profitability."
When the new apple varieties were put in nearly a decade ago, Warren Orchards instituted a policy of replacing five percent of its trees each year. "We consider 20 years, give or take, to be the maximum productive life of our trees," says Bill. "So we rotate a few new trees in each year to keep the workload and expense constant."
Warren orchards ships all of its commercial apple production to Monson Fruit Co. in Selah, where the fruit is packed and shipped throughout the U.S. and oversees. Bill says that about one-third of Warren Orchards' apple production is consumed outside the U.S. Warrens' pears are shipped to Blue Bird, a packing plant in Peshastin, WA.
Those of us in Columbia and Walla Walla Counties are at a great advantage, since we can buy fresh apples and pears right at the orchard. Just drive to the orchard entrance at 422 North Touchet Road, and you'll find a treasure trove of fresh fruit available to purchase during harvest. Bill says he likes to make fruit available at the orchard through Elk Hunting Season (late October). "That way, the guys who don't get their elk can at least bring home a box of apples," he says.
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