MIAMI VALLEY — On top of everything else, 2020 has hurt the local apple crop. Some Miami Valley orchards are struggling during pick-your-own season.
Glenn Monnin, co-owner of Monnin’s Fruit Farm in Butler Township, said a May frost wiped out his apple crop. It also killed most of his other fruit this year.
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“This year I probably had about a 10 percent strawberry crop, a 25 percent raspberry crop, a half a peach crop, and all the apples,” Monnin said. “So this is rare that we didn’t have any kind of a crop as far as fruit goes. We had no sour cherries, no pears, no plums. All that stuff froze, it was that devastating of a freeze.”
Alex Buck, Fruit Growers Marketing Association president said the apple crop in the Miami Valley is down to 70 percent.
“Most of the growers didn’t lose a full crop. They still should have some varieties to be able to go out and pick,” Buck said.
That will not be the case on the farm Monnin grew up on.
“Now I know there are some farms around that have a couple varieties here and there, just really sparse. But our situation here is total kill,” Monnin said.
He said orchards in the area work together to keep apples stocked in their farm stores. However, this does not replace the connection he has to the community during pick-your-own season.
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“All the smiles and the happy people, happy kids, you know we miss it a lot. And hate when it happens and it hurts us financially, big time,” Monnin said.
Buck said people can check ohioapples.com to find places doing pick-your-own.
Monnin’s farm is offering pick-your-own pumpkin this year. However, he is limiting the number of people allowed in the patch at one time, and customers have to socially distance.
Cox Media Group
