Snow had minimal impact on apple harvest: B.C. Fruit Growers

Nov 11, 2022

The recent snow has not created major issues for Okanagan apple production.

That’s according to B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association general manager Glenn Lucas who said not many apples should still have been on trees when the snow hit.

“Our biggest apple varieties are Gala and Ambrosia and they were either almost done, or all done, harvesting so not too much impact there,” Lucas told Vernon Matters.

“For some late varieties, like Pink Lady or Fuji, there could be some impact there, but we don’t grow large volumes of those.”

Lucas noted a particular grower may choose to have several acres of one of those late varieties, but said 90 per cent of the apples grown in the North Okanagan should have already been harvested earlier this year.

“There’s a few late season varieties that might have been impacted somewhat, but people were really hustling at the end to try and get those late season varieties off as well,” he noted, adding any fruit lost due to the snow would make up less than one per cent of the total annual production from the region.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.