The U.S. Michigan apple harvest is starting early this season, with the state expecting a haul of about 30.5 million bushels, or 1.281 billion pounds. 

According to the Michigan Apple Committee, it's unusual to have three large crops in a row, but warmer-than-normal temperatures in late winter and early spring caused buds to form early, leading to earlier bloom. 

Growers didn't experience significant frost and freeze events after that early bloom, meaning a plentiful crop was harvested about 10 days earlier than usual. 

Michigan Apples are available nearly year-round from August to June. The largest and most valuable fruit crop in the state can be found at about 150 farm markets and cider mills in Michigan as well as more than 12,000 retail groceries across the U.S.

The US Department of Agriculture reported that Michigan harvested 31.9 million bushels of apples in 2023. The average annual crop size is approximately 25.9 million bushels. There are more than 14.9 million apple trees in commercial production, covering 34,500 acres on 775 family-run farms in Michigan.  

Harvesting is currently happening on Galas, Macs, and Honeycrisp with Fujis and Golds being picked as well this week.