<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Madison, WI-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2.21.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>To say 2012 has been a lackluster year for Wisconsin apples would be an understatement. Production fell 54%, meaning yields were at their lowest since 1945.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, apple growers in Wisconsin harvested three tons less per acre last year than in 2011.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The industry is pointing to last season’s unusual weather as the culprit. A heat wave in March caused apples to bloom prematurely and the ensuing April frost killed a significant amount of blossoms. A drought followed in the summer, making conditions even worse in Wisconsin apple orchards.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Wisconsin Apple Growers Association hopes that conditions are more seasonal in 2013 – especially in spring, to ensure that trees remain dormant until the threat of frost retreats. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
