Greece, N.Y. (WHAM 13-TV) - The apple harvest is upon us, but the crop is not as bountiful this year.
Officials predict the crop in New York will be down 54% this year.
Experts blame the early warm spell this spring and the following dry spell over the summer.
At the Green Acre farm in Greece, they haven't seen a crop this small since the 1940s.
"The largest crop we have is about 50% on one variety and some varieties that have absolutely nothing,” said fruit grower Joe Michaloski. “We'll pick no apples off those trees and we have other varieties at about 20 percent...it's been almost 70 years since something like this has happened."
As farmers try to make-up for the losses, we can expect to pay more for apples at grocery stores this year.
The one bright spot is that the apples which did survive are extra tasty—they’ll have a higher sugar content.
