SUN JOURNAL • November 26, 2023
Maine’s apple growers are suffering from their worst harvest in over a decade. Between severe crop losses and wet weather that kept customers home during the peak fall apple picking season, some local growers are struggling to make ends meet through the winter. Many are counting on federal crop insurance claims to help recoup some of this year’s losses. Maine orchards produce over a million bushels of apples a year, according to the Maine Pomological Society. Many of the state’s 84 apple producers are family-run farms that make a sizable portion of their income through agritourism, such as pick-your-own apples. “This is one of the worst (apple) years for the state of Maine,” said Jeremy Forrett, vice president of Crop Growers LLP, a licensed crop insurance agency