LA CRESCENT, Minnesota (WXOW) - Apple season is well underway, but some growers reported a devastating impact from unusual weather.
Ralph Yates, manager of Fruit Acres in La Crescent, Minn, said his crop came through just fine.
His team is packing thousands of apples; each bag is inspected for bumps and bruises and then distributed throughout Minnesota.
Fruit Acres will supply many apples to distributors at Applefest in La Crescent this coming weekend, according to Yates.
"We have a very good picking crew out there, so, you know, we're plugging away and getting the fruit off," Yates said. "In the pack house, as we get busier, we continue to hire people as needed."
There's no shortage of workers for Fruit Acres this harvest season. With more than a dozen working now, Yates said he will probably employ up to 30 people.
He said there's a list of applicants and when business demands more employees, he will bring more in.
This year's crop may be plentiful, but its abundance defies the odds of nature's challenges.
"The challenge throughout the year has been the weather. We've had freezing in the spring, we've had drought conditions through the summer," Yates said. "They've all been factors in this year's harvest."
But, Yates said a little bit of stress on himself and the apple crop makes the Cortlands, Macintoshes and Honeycrisp taste that much sweeter.
