For the fourth consecutive year, Michigan is on track for an above average apple harvest thanks to mild weather conditions, low disease outbreak, and more high-density orchards.

Michigan farmers are estimated to harvest a combined 30 million bushels or about 1.26 billion pounds of apples this year, according to this week's Northern Express - sister publication of The Ticker. The announcement was made on Aug. 15 during the USApple Outlook meeting held in Chicago. Last year, the state harvested 30.5 million bushels. All told, there are more than 17.6 million apple trees in commercial production and 850 family-run farms in Michigan, according to the Michigan Apple Committee.

In the next few weeks, northern Michigan apple growers will be busy harvesting this year’s bounty, while leaf peepers and apple pluckers flock to the area for the annual fall pilgrimage. Read more about what's store in for this fall's harvest in the Northern Express, available to read online or for free on newsstands at more than 650 locations in 13 counties across northern Michigan.