The state’s apple growers have the potential for a record harvest this season, but labor shortages and a tough market may keep them from harvesting all their fruit. 

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) is forecasting a crop of about 142 million standard 40-pound boxes for the 2025 apple harvest season, according to a release. If fully harvested, that would match the previous record, despite drought conditions across the state. 

“However, challenging economic conditions including concerns about labor supply during harvest means that many growers will be more selective in what they pick,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA president, in a statement. “As a result, there is a high probability that the final harvested crop will be smaller than the potential reflected in this forecast.” 

Apple harvest typically begins in August and continues through November. Apples are one of the state’s top crops, having generated $2 billion in value in 2022. Roughly 30% of the crop is exported. 

This also looks to be the first year that the varietal Cosmic Crisp, which was developed by Washington State University for growing conditions in Eastern Washington, cracked the top five varietals of the season at nearly 10% of the harvest. 

The other top four varietals are Gala at 18%, Honeycrisp at 15%, Granny Smith at 14.7% and Red Delicious at 12%.