Apples Season Comes A Cropper

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday May 6, 2004

By MICHELLE SINGER

HOT weather and water restrictions have taken a bite out of the Illawarra's orchards and this season's apple crops.

The apple season is in full swing with plenty of ripe Jonathon, Golden Delicious and Royal Gala gracing grocery and supermarket shelves, but Illawarra orchards are reporting a downturn in stock because of dry weather, hail storms and unusual frost patterns.

The Fahey family, which has owned Glenbernie Orchard in Darkes Forest since 1939, rated its stone fruit season as ``okay" but has found the apple crop is down about a third on previous years.

``The apples are still tasty but we definitely have a smaller crop because the hot days make the apples fall off the trees prematurely, so a lack of water means there's less crop," orchard co-owner Mandi Fahey said.

The orchard, which produces seven different types of apples including Galas, Granny Smiths, Fujis, Pink Ladies and Red Delicious, has been restricted to two hours of irrigation a night.

Mrs Fahey said water was important during the trees' growing period and a lack of fluid meant less fruit.

``A couple of years ago we could pick a tonne of apples in a day but that's certainly not like that now," she said. ``There are others feeling it more than us though. We are lucky because we are closer to the coastline. Some orchards also copped pretty bad hail damage."

In contrast, the 53ha McNamara's Orchard at Mt Kembla has had no problems with the weather and has produced a standard-sized crop, with a range of apples.

Nola Stephens said the stone fruit crop may have been slightly down but there were plenty of apples.

``It's been pretty dry for two seasons now but we are over the escarpment so we get more rain than Wollongong," Ms Stephens said.

The Illawarra traditionally produces more kilograms of apples from trees than any other NSW region.

But that may not be the case for Picton farmer Mark Silm of Cedar Creek Orchard, who has experienced a particularly bad season.

``The season has been disgusting in a nutshell. Crops are down because of the dry weather and a light frost in September burned a lot of the blossoms," Mr Silm said.

``And I haven't picked a piece of fruit until recently because I was wiped out by hail."

Mr Silm said he lost 100 per cent of his stone fruit crop and 70 per cent of his apples.

He estimates his ripe Pink Lady crop will be available for the next couple of months.

``I have a nice crop of persimmons; huge and good, but they are not as popular as I'd like. Domestically people think they are like the old ones which used to go soft; these ones are sweet and crispy like an apple," he said.

``I see a lot of potential next year. If Mother Nature is kind to me - I have got so many young trees planted I have done my hard yards - hopefully next year I'll start reaping the benefits."