Washington apple growers may have avoided a painful oversupply year in 2025, but many are still struggling to make a profit. 

After several years of sizable crops that pushed down prices, a slightly smaller harvest, stronger pricing for premium varieties and more disciplined harvesting practices helped stabilize the market this season.

But rising labor, energy and production costs continue to squeeze growers, even as market conditions improve.

“Growers are more optimistic with where prices have been and where they’re going,” said Michael Schadler, president of the Washington Apple Commission. “But in many cases, prices are still not high enough to even turn a profit.”

Washington growers harvested about 132 million 40-pound boxes of apples in 2025, just a little under 2024’s 132.4 million boxes. The totals reflect fresh-market shipments and don’t include apples used for processed products like applesauce and apple juice.

Washington’s apple production was valued at $1.9 billion in 2025, with fresh market apple production accounting for $1.8 billion of that total, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A late-summer heat wave hurt the yields for some early varieties of apples in 2025, helping prevent the kind of oversupply that can affect growers, Schadler said. 

The crop was also a little smaller because “growers were much more disciplined with what they actually picked,” he said.

Looking ahead

The 2026 crop, still in its early stages, could come in even smaller, possibly 10% less than last year, Schadler said. Though an April frost raised concerns, he said it likely didn’t have a big impact.

The prediction for a slightly smaller crop could mean that farmers pick everything and end up with a bigger crop than expected – the reverse of last year, where growers were worried about too big of a crop and picked more moderately. 

Market pricing has improved for several major varieties, particularly Honey Crisp and Cosmic Crisp, which are “leading the way,” Schadler said.

Gala prices also remain strong, though Fuji, Granny Smith and Cripps Pink apples continue to lag.

The Washington State University-developed Cosmic Crisp – currently only grown in Washington – was set to be grown exclusively in Washington until 2027, but that timeline was recently extended. Now, the exclusivity period will end on May 26, 2032, the same date its patent expires. 

That exclusivity was initially “established to honor the critical role Washington growers played in the development of this variety – through direct funding, industry collaboration, and an enduring commitment to its commercial success,” said Jeremy Tamsen, senior director of innovation and entrepreneurship with WSU’s Office of Research, in an April 2026 letter to growers. The extension recognizes the apple industry’s continuing investment in the apple, according to the letter.

Costs, pests, labor

Production costs continue to remain one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

Higher energy prices over the past few months present a “new and increasing challenge,” Schadler said, along with pests and labor costs.

While there are always pest concerns that need to be managed in the apple industry, codling moths, whose caterpillars burrow into apples and feed on seeds, are putting a little more pressure on growers this year, possibly driven by a milder winter. 

There’s “always pest and disease pressures every season – that’s just something growers have to deal with, and we’ve got tools to deal with that,” Schadler said. 

And farm labor is always costly.

“Our industry, as many industries are, is very reliant on H-2A labor,” he said of the visa program that brings in temporary or seasonal workers from other countries to work for U.S. growers.

While the program can be expensive for growers – from wages above minimum wage to paying for housing and transportation from the workers’ home countries – the labor is key to properly prune, grow and harvest the fruit.

A new federal ruling may help lower those costs, which could provide some relief for growers, Schadler said. 

Apple exports

There’s a reason why apples are the state fruit for Washington.

The state exports about 30% of its apples each year, making trade another major factor in grower profitability. Apples were the state’s third-largest agricultural export in 2025, bringing in $819.32 million last year, a 3.07% decrease from 2024, according to data from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. 

Mexico, Canada and Taiwan are the top three export markets for Washington apples during the 2024-25 season. India, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Indonesia and Peru also ranked among the top 10, according to a Northwest Horticultural Council fact sheet.

Schadler said instability surrounding tariffs and international trade negotiations continues to cloud the outlook for exporters and contribute to “uncertainty about how things are going to play out,” he said. 

China could once again become a viable market for Washington apples, and a preliminary deal struck with India may reduce tariffs on U.S. apples as well, Schadler said. 

Still, growers remain concerned about whether apple prices will rise enough to keep pace with escalating production costs, he said.

But as apples begin to grow and prices continue to strengthen for last year’s crop, “this time of year is one of hope and optimism for growers,” Schadler said.