Apple growers hope new variety will be popular with consumers

The process that brought the popular Honey Crisp apple to New Brunswick's orchards is changing, says apple growerBlairStirling.

The owner ofAppleManFarmsLtd., in Gagetown, said when he and two other applefarmers decided they needed to improve their apple orchards, they settled on the Honey Crisp apple.

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To obtain it, theypaid a royalty to the University of Minnesota, which had developed the apple in the 1990s.

Stirling said customers love Honey Crisps andcontinue to pay a premium price for them.

"We probably should have done twice as much," he said.

New markets

But now, the apple farmer said, buying a root stock such as thepubliclyavailable Honey Crisp variety may soon be athing of the past.

"For a high-quality, high-value apple, Honey Crisp will be the last variety. All the new varieties, if they're selected for a fresh, premium market apple, they'll be purchased by entrepreneurs."

Stirlingsaid growers, associations, or just private individualshoping to maintain control of sales and production of a certain fruit, will now be able to buy "club apples."

So-called "club apples"can only be grown and sold by members of the club that buy the patent.

Stirlingsaid this is agood way to protect a market that is easily flooded by bigger, southern farmers with longer growing seasons.

The New Brunswick Apple Growers Association recently bought the rights to a variety called Evangeline, which it hopes will be a hit with consumers.

But the association has decided not to go the club apple route yet. They will allow anyone who pays it a royaltyto grow the apple.