Program Information

Professor Brad explains Virginia is the 6th largest apple producing state in the nation, harvesting apples for such items as apple butter, apple juice, apple sauce, cider and pie fillings.

ABCs of Agriculture informs about Virginia's farming community and how it affects you. ABCs of Agriculture are produced by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) - an educational program which encourages and enhances agricultural literacy in Grades K-5 and 6-8.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the ABC’s of Agriculture! We’re here today to talk about our first letter, A is for apples. Virginia is currently the sixth largest apple producing state in the nation. About 17,000 acres of apple orchards raise more than 300-thousand pounds of this “a-peeling” fruit each year.

Harvest season begins in late August and ends in early November in Virginia. About three-quarters of the apples raised here are sold for processing and made into products like apple butter, apple juice, applesauce, cider and pie fillings. The rest are sold to supermarkets or to the public at farm markets and pick-your-own operations.

You’ll find apple orchards all over Virginia, but most are found in Frederick County, near Winchester. Other orchards are centered in the Roanoke Valley, near Charlottesville and in Carroll and Patrick Counties.

What’s best about Virginia apples? Well, since they’re grown locally, they’re fresher. And we have a lot of great tasting apple varieties, like Rome, Stayman, York, Granny Smith and Jonathan apples. So try some today – they’re delicious!

For the ABC’s of Agriculture, I’m Professor Brad! See you next time!

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