HORTONVILLE, Wis. — Wisconsin’s apple orchards are celebrating what they say has been a good growing season.

Eric Bauer’s family runs The Apple Shed in Hortonville, near Appleton. He said this year’s crop is one of the best he’s seen in a long time.

“Apples are looking really good this year,” Bauer said. “This is probably the best crop we’ve had in ten years maybe, maybe longer.”

He said that’s a reason to celebrate.

And he’s not alone. The Wisconsin Apple Growers Association said they’ve heard the same from orchards statewide.

Bauer said the reason is simple — Mother Nature cooperated this year. He said the spring started at the right time and didn’t bring frost. Combine that with a good summer and he said it’s no surprise the crop is so good.

“I think farmers are always grateful for the weather that we get,” Bauer said. “There’s nothing you can do about it, so you take what you get and you be happy with it.”

He said his customers have had plenty to be happy about. Not only are there a lot of apples on his trees, but they’re large too.

“We get a lot of repeat customers, so a lot of people know what it was like last year when the apples were done by the end of September or the first part of October,” Bauer said. “They’re really happy to get out here and see that we’ve got so much stuff left on the trees yet.”

He said there’s nothing better than watching families enjoy what his family spends so much time growing.

“It’s one of the, maybe the best part of this job is to watch the families come out,” he said. “You know, we get tons of families out here on the weekend. It’s quiet, it’s not real busy here, so they can come and they can enjoy their time together and just walk and see where their food comes from.”

Bauer said he’s just hoping 2023 brings the same kind of weather so families next year can enjoy another special harvest.