Apple picking is an iconic Fall activity. It’s something that’s fun, cheap and fairly easy to do with family and friends and you get a whole bunch of fresh, locally grown apples to enjoy when the day is done. However, in order for you to go apple picking, there actually needs to be apples on the trees when you get there. That’s become a bit of a problem for local Springfield orchards.

All the way back in April, when Drury was empty and all of the students were home in quarantine, disaster struck for Springfield’s apple orchards. A late freeze halved many apple crops, leaving them with a significantly stunted final crop. However, the misfortunes didn’t stop there. In early May, a storm with strong winds and hail hit Springfield and the surrounding areas. The hail and wind knocked many of the remaining apples off the trees and left only a few to be picked.

So, what does all of this mean for apple picking and the orchards who normally supply it this fall? The Mirror talked with Wes Murphy, the owner of Murphy Orchard about what this means for his orchard and the people who want to go apple picking this fall.

Mr. Murphy was open and honest about how much his orchard has been affected by the small apple crop this year. “Financially we lost tens of thousands of dollars,” he says. He goes on to explain, “We have spent money pruning the trees in the winter, fertilizing the trees in the spring and spraying pesticides to protect the trees. We do all of those things before making $1 off harvesting the crop. If you only harvest 10%, you are losing money on that crop.”

According to Mr. Murphy, due to the low crop, picking apples yourself this year will be nearly impossible. “We only had about 10% of the crop this year,” he says. “Other seasons we are picking until the end of October. We are already finished in the first week of October.” This means that there aren’t any for people to come and pick themselves. However, it’s still worth the drive to visit, even without apple picking. Murphy’s Orchard has already picked apples and fresh apple cider available, and the orchards are still as beautiful and scenic as ever.

While apple picking in the Springfield area may not be possible this year, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still support our local orchards. They need support from the community in order to grow crops for next year. Murphy’s Orchard is located in Marionville, MO off of US-60, and there are also many other orchards in and around Springfield that you could visit as well. So, go out and support Springfield’s orchards and help ensure that apple picking remains a Fall activity for years to come.

Article by Sammie Ellis