Minn. apple season starting early this year

Apple growers in Minnesota are getting an early start this season.

Ralph Yates, the secretary of the Minnesota Apple Growers Association, said the early spring and mild winter shifted the harvest about seven to 10 days earlier than usual.

In southeastern Minnesota, some apple growers began harvesting early crops in July. Yates said orchards that allow people to pick their own apples may also get an early start.

"If you're used to going out in, you know, in the middle of September and finding that perfect honey crisp and so forth, you may be able to do that a week earlier than normal," Yates said.

Yates also said drought conditions in parts of the state may result in fewer apples from some orchards. Minnesota's apple growers typically harvest more than 600,000 bushels of apples each year.

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