Few orchards to offer U-pick apples

RICHLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - After an early spring frost, blazing July temperatures and a summer drought, one of Michigan's most popular past-times is in jeopardy this fall.

Apple picking will not be the same -- if it exists at all this year.

This year, apples are smaller, more expensive and harder to find than is typical in Michigan, which puts out more than $100 million-worth of produce each year in its apple crop alone.

Only two out of about 10 apple orchards contacted by 24 Hour News 8 will let customers come pick apples this fall: Steffen's Orchard in Sparta and Gull Meadow Farms in Richland.

Motman's Apple Orchard in Allendale is closed this fall. Robinette's Apple Haus & Winery in Grand Rapids will be open, but won't have U-pick.

The reason a lot of farms are low on apples is because of the unusual March warm spell, which was followed by a freeze that killed apple blossoms and therefore apples.

Farmers also said it was a struggle to keep apples that survived the freeze alive through the blazing hot summer temperatures and drought. The two farms offering U-pick apples invested a lot of money in irrigation this year.

"It's kind of one thing after another," said Justin Wendzel of Gull Meadow Farms. "We had the frost and then the heat. You're trying to get ready for the fall season and all that time is just gone doing things you normally wouldn't have to take care of."

Gull Meadow Farms, one of the more successful orchards in the area, expects to see about 35% of its apple crop. That is because the farm had in March a frost fan with 20-foot blades that kept the blooms warm enough,  and a drip irrigation system this summer.

"We just ran three wells 24 hours a day for months on end to try to keep what we had out here alive," said Wendzel. "It wasn't easy at all. We have about 35 miles of drip irrigation, and all of that had to be walked out by hand; every last row of it."

Wendzel said they spent about $10,000 on irrigation alone this summer.

"We've increased our apple prices by about 15%, but what we want to do is treat our customers right and make sure we're giving them something to come out here and experience that fall tradition still, and not price them out of it or anything like that," said Wendzel.