Apple season has started in Vermont, but growers are reporting reduced yields following a very wet spring and subsequent drought conditions.
Dean Miller of Cortland Hill Orchard in Brattleboro said his fruit is full and healthy, but he harvested only about 50% of his normal crop. "Every day in May except for a couple of days it rained, and that's when our blossoms come out," he said. "So the bees didn't get a chance to work the blossoms." Miller also reported losses in his plum crop.
At Rooty's Apple Orchard in Newport, Craig Hebert said drought was the main challenge this season. He tends around 250 trees of McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Paula Reds, and Cortlands, operating a u-pick business. "We're supposed to open tomorrow," he said on Sept. 11. "That's our opening day, and it doesn't look like it's gonna be a very long season." He plans to irrigate from a nearby pond, though water levels are low.
As of mid-September, about two-thirds of Vermont was experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with the driest areas in Addison, Rutland, and the central and eastern parts of the state. The agency reported that such conditions lower fruit yield and size and deplete irrigation ponds and groundwater. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows groundwater levels are extremely low, with some streams completely dried up. NASA data also indicates critically low soil moisture across central and eastern Vermont.
State climatologist Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux explained that Vermont is experiencing both a flash drought, beginning in June and July, and a longer-term drought that started in 2024. She said, "Every month, every day, every year brings you that additional data point, that helps you to understand a little better what the changing climate signal looks like."
Despite the dry conditions, some growers expect later varieties to perform better. Lori Wyman of Hunger Mountain Orchard in Waterbury reported slightly lower yields in early McIntosh varieties but said Cortlands, Macouns, Empires, Liberties, Sweet Sixteen, and Northern Spy trees look promising.
In Cabot, Greg Burtt of Burtt's Apple Orchard said drought affected his Gala crop, which is withered, but his later varieties are sizing and coloring well. "Be it a miracle or be it good fortune, it's better than we thought," he said.
Growers said rain is needed but noted that cool nights and sunny days in the forecast will help apples ripen. "It's the cold nights and the sunny days that ripen your apples," Miller said.
Source: CAI