Barton Orchards in Poughquag, NY Details Dealing With “Apple Picking Apocalypse”

It seems that every time the weekend rolls around the skies open up and it starts to rain across the Hudson Valley.

Meteorologists and Hudson Valley farmers alike will tell you we have had 8 straight weekends of rain in some capacity. And while many say rain is a good thing, it has been hitting local orchards and farms pretty hard.

Apple Picking Apocalypse Lands in the Hudson Valley

Peter Barton of Barton Orchards shared with the New York Times that it has been a difficult apple-picking season for 2023.

The New York Times explains:

Nearly 11 inches of rain have fallen on the region in September and October, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 33 percent above normal.

But those numbers don’t capture the true extent of the bad luck: The wettest days have disproportionately fallen on weekends, when pick-your-own farms receive most of their visitors.

According to Barton who shared with the NYT on peak fall weekends in previous years, Barton Orchards had upward of 10,000 visitors. With numbers like that on a single weekend, you can see how all of this rain can affect business.

The New York Times adds:

Mr. Barton maintains that he’s lost at least 30 percent of his business this season to the incessant rainfall. Other u-pick orchard owners estimated that their fall revenue has decreased by a quarter to as much as a half.

After the article from the NYT was release, Barton Orchards shared the following statement on Facebook:

Apple Picking Season Continues in the Hudson Valley