The 2015 apple yield is proving to be healthy, with the crop "evening out" since a disastrous spring frost in 2012 wiped out the crop. However, the frost event prompted growers to diversify in a way that is proving healthy for their businesses, a horticulture expert explained. "In terms of the production of the trees, they are starting to even out since 2012," said Robert Tritten, of Michigan State University Extension. "We had a wonderful crop in 2013, and then a crop that was a little bit short in 2014. And now we are having another very nice crop in 2015." Fruit is an extremely important component of Michigan's agriculture industry, Tritten pointed out, with the apple crop leading the way as the largest fruit commodity in terms of money generated. "Michigan is the third largest producer of apples in the entire country," he said. "Michigan is really known for its unique position in growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. We are ranked second only to California in the value and diversity of our fruit and vegetable industry." Michigan is a very special place for fruit growers. The more moderate winters created by the Great Lakes combined with warm days and cool nights in early fall that produce sweet flavor make Michigan an ideal place for fruit, according to Tritten. The frost of spring 2012 was so unusual that Michigan hadn't experienced a similar frost since World War II, he said. But the highly unusual spring frost that wiped out the 2012 crop made apple growers "get more creative," as Paul Blake of Blake Farms put it. Blake Farms was founded in 1946 by Peter and Paul Blake's parents and continues to be a family-run business, with three locations in metro Detroit and about 900 acres in production with 100 devoted to apples. Like another local, historic Macomb County orchard – Westview Orchards in Romeo – the 2012 frost prompted Blake Farms to diversify. While Westview began a winery, the Blake family started a hard cider operation. "We're recovering very well," said Paul Blake. "We had zero apples that year, and it made us diversify a bit, get a little more creative. Because of that year, we started our hard cider production so we could have a year-round business. In years that we have lots of apples, we can now make more cider. You know, sometimes when you have something bad, something good comes out of it." Paul Blake said the two-year-old hard cider business has been very good for Blake Farms. "Our hard cider company is taking off and it's been well-received by the public," he said. "We're all over Michigan now and going into other states." Blake's Hard Cider is now carried by Kroger and Meijer grocery stores, he said. The product seems to have found a niche with "the younger generation," he added. "Hard cider is becoming as popular as beer with young people," said Paul Blake. Tritten said it is becoming increasingly difficult for traditional apple orchards to survive if they fail to diversify in some way. "A number of our farms, especially in the metro Detroit area, are doing what we call 'agri-tourism,'" said Tritten. "That would include things like wagon rides, petting farms, jumping pillows, and corn mazes – all things folks love to do in Michigan in the fall out on the farm." Tritten said diversification makes the businesses more sustainable in a time of worldwide competition. "Some orchards are also offering bakery items, while others are expanding to wine and hard cider," he said. "All this is helping bring sustainability to the orchards. Worldwide competition for apple production makes it hard for apple growers to make enough income to support their families by just growing apples and selling them to a grocery store." However, the core of orchards like Blake's remains apple production. Paul Blake said that crucial area of the business is thriving. "We have a very good crop," said Paul Blake. "We actually think it is a higher-quality crop than last year. Size was better. We had enough moisture to size the apples early in the year, and we didn't get any frosty nights that deformed the blossoms." Orchards like Blake Farms are benefiting from a movement to "buy local," explained Tritten. "Many consumers are deciding they want to support locally grown fruits and vegetables," he said. "It's another reason for the growth in farms and orchards that sell what they grow directly to the public." But when asked what he expects of next year's crop, Paul Blake laughed. "That's a tough question to ask anyone in the farming industry," he said. "Mother Nature is a lot more unpredictable than a regular business plan can account for. A higher power than us is going to determine next year's crop, but we're diversified enough at this point that we can weather a lot of storms." Source - http://voicenews.com