Early apple crop creates labour crunch in a race against rot

The Okanagan's apple crop is coming in ahead of schedule, creating a labour challenge for growers as they try to get the fruit off the trees before it rots.

"It is, I would say, 10 days to two weeks early," said Fred Steele, who is a Kelowna B.C. orchardist and the president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association.

Steele said the early ripening means growers have to pick the fruit earlier than they normally would.

"The window sometimes becomes a little shorter."

The need to pick earlier than usualmeans "labour becomes an issue," said Steele,because pickers from other parts of Canada who come to the Okanagan at harvest time plan their trips based on when the crop normally comes in.

• B.C. apples arrive earlier and mushier due to hot summer
• Arctic apple developed in B.C. approved for sale in Canada
• Okana apples developed by B.C orchardist

However, the problem is somewhat mitigated because many apple growers also hire temporary foreign workers through the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

"It becomes a timing issue but it's not a great issue," said Steele.

The quality of this year's fruit is "excellent," said Steele.

"It's been very balanced. Good size, good colour."

Steele credits the Okanagan's unusually cool and wet summer for helping improve the quality compared to last year's crop.

"We didn't get that blistering 43-degree heat this year that caused some problems in the year before," he said.