Virginia apple growers are expecting a sharply reduced harvest this year after a damaging late‑spring freeze cut statewide production nearly in half. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now estimates Virginia orchards will produce just 77 million pounds of apples in 2026, down from 149 million pounds in 2025 — a 48% decline driven by widespread freeze injury earlier this year.

Growers in Albemarle, Frederick, Shenandoah, and other key apple‑producing counties reported severe bud and blossom loss after temperatures plunged well below freezing during critical bloom stages. A report from the Virginia Farm Bureau said that Extension agents saw damage too extensive for secondary buds to compensate, leaving producers with their lightest crop in years.

The economic impact is expected to ripple across packing houses, seasonal labor, and local markets that depend on Virginia’s apple industry.

Pennsylvania growers are also facing similar challenges. Multiple freezes there caused what Extension specialists describe as historic losses, with some orchards reporting little to no harvest potential for 2026.

State and federal officials say assessments will continue as growers progress through a challenging harvest season.