Early spring frost damage: Michigan apples are alright

Michigan apple growers seem unfazed by the abnormal weather patterns that have producers across the United States reeling since March. 

California saw the table grape season kick off to its earliest start in around 10 years, while Washington cherry growers revised their projections down due in part to cold snaps in Yakima Valley. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, after warm temperatures triggered apple blooms, Michigan experienced 11 freezing events that might have threatened to decimate the 2026 crop. However, unlike their counterparts on the West Coast, apple growers in the Great Lakes state seem utterly unaffected by the abnormal weather. 

Diane Smith, Executive Director at industry body Michigan Apples, told FreshFruitPortal.com that despite media reports, this season hasn’t been particularly bad frost-wise. She explained that cold snaps are very much within the realm of weather that Michigan growers are historically used to dealing with. Even when paired with such a vulnerable agronomic stage as blooming. 

“It’s pretty normal for us. We always expect some sort of frost event,” Smith said. “It's just the way Michigan rolls.”

A hard lesson to learn

However, the calm in the state’s apple sector is due not only to Michiganders’ resilience to freezing temperatures but mostly to the harsh lessons learned after a catastrophic 2012 season. 

“There was a really early warm-up. We're talking about 70 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit in March,” Smith recalled. Trees woke up just a little too early, sounding industry alarms, but weeks passed by, and things seemed to be holding steady, even towards the end of April. “Then there was another frost event. And that did it,” Smith added.

According to Michigan Apples data, the state lost 97 percent of the crop that year, in an unheard-of, once-in-a-lifetime event that the industry leader hopes never to see again. 

“It really gave the growers something to think about and make plans so that that never happened to them again,” she added. 

As a result, apple growers invested heavily in frost fans—engine-powered windmill-like contraptions that activate, either manually or automatically, at a previously set threshold, depending on an orchard’s particular growing stage. The machines warm up the air and circulate it through the rows of trees, raising the temperature by up to three degrees Fahrenheit. 

“If you're looking at a severe freeze event, it can really make a difference in terms of protecting the blooms,” Diane says. 

Freeze protection: A worthy investment for Michigan apple growers

Kim Kropf, Michigan Apples' Board of Directors Chair, owns and manages a 135-acre high-density farm in Belding, Michigan. There, she and her husband Chris, a fourth-generation apple grower, produce varieties such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and EverCrisp. 

On the phone with FreshFruitPortal.com, she recalled that after each freeze event, she’d go into the orchard to clearly see dead or dying blossoms. With the earliest variety set to start harvest somewhere between mid and late August, Kropf says it’s still too early to assess frost damage, but she remains optimistic.

“We just always look forward to the season. Looks like we're going to have another real nice crop,” she said. 

Kropf’s family farm is one of many in the state to feature frost fans, which they installed before 2012, though at the time the existing machines didn’t cover the entire orchard. Since then, Kim said, they’ve doubled the number of frost fans on their property. 

On average, one frost fan covers about 12 acres, so between 9 and 10 of them are needed to cover 100 acres. Add to that installation and upkeep costs and fuel or electricity bills (depending on the model), and you’re looking at a pretty hefty investment. Kim recalls paying $51,000 for each of her 15 machines (installation included) back in 2012, but says prices have certainly gone up since. 

Still, she says, the investment is well worth it: “We absolutely rely on those fans. They’re an intrinsic part of the season.” 

Diane Smith said frost fans have become Michigan apple growers’ best ally against freezing temperatures during the blossom period, but is adamant that the machines don’t make the magic happen by themselves. 

“I don't think the average person understands the amount of sleepless nights and all the work that goes into making sure that the crop is protected. That's always amazing to me, how much work that is,” she said.

Kim agrees. She recalled several times when her husband had to go into the orchard in the middle of the night to make sure the fans were working properly. And it’s not just growers, but an entire industry that strives to protect the state crop. 

“The people that sell and service the fans—we couldn't do spring without them,” she concluded. “They're on-call 24/7, and they'll come out in the middle of the night when a machine breaks down. You call them, and they're there.”

Michigan apple crop outlook

The Michigan Apples executive said the season is currently looking at an average crop size of around 27 million bushels. The executive said numbers might change depending on the weather, with hail damage being the biggest threat to the fruit during the summer months.

The grower organization doesn’t release a volume projection, but production numbers from the US Department of Agriculture are expected to be posted in August. 

*All images courtesy of Michigan Apples. 

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