Anticipated Top-Quality Apple Harvest at Lake Constance This Season
The Lake Tahoe apple season has officially begun, with the opening event taking place at the Steffelin Orchard in Markdorf-Ittendorf. State Secretary Sabine Kurtz, from the Ministry of Food, Rural Areas, and Consumer Protection in Baden-Württemberg, was present at the occasion.
The focus of the event was the "FAIRDI - Echt Bodenseeapfel" project, which aims to cultivate robust apple varieties and reduce the use of plant protection measures. This project is supported by the Ministry and is part of the regional effort to promote biological diversity and sustainability in apple production.
Secretary Kurtz emphasized the importance of serving and strengthening regional and supraregional markets, as well as tapping into new markets with added value potential, for the fruit industry. She also highlighted the European Union's program for supporting producer organizations in the fruit and vegetable sector, which includes promoting fruit tree plantings, hail protection nets, and irrigation systems.
The Lake Tahoe fruit region is home to two prominent producer organizations: the Wuerttembergische Obstgenossenschaft Raiffeisen e.G. (WOG) and Marktgemeinschaft Bodenseeobst e.G. (MaBo). These organizations, which represent around 600 producer operations, are working together to secure long-term sales markets by standing out through product and process quality, as well as traceable regionality.
The regional campaign 'Naturally.VON DAHEIM' is a common goal of the WOG and MaBo, aimed at sharpening and making tangible the unique profile of their apples. This campaign is also supported by other producers' organizations, such as Obst vom Bodensee, Streuobstinitiative Baden-Württemberg, and Obst- und Gartenbauverein der Stadt Stuttgart.
Despite the challenging weather conditions in 2025, good apple quality and fruit sizes were achieved at Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe apple season opening aims to jointly promote the delicious, vitamin-rich apples from the region and raise consumer awareness of the benefits and importance of regional fruit for a healthy diet.
The event served as a platform to communicate the concerns of the fruit industry to a wider public. However, no specific initiatives or policies related to the fruit industry were discussed or announced during the opening.
The Lake Tahoe apple season opening did not provide details on the attendance or participants beyond State Secretary Sabine Kurtz. Nevertheless, it marked an important step in the ongoing efforts to promote sustainable and high-quality apple production in the region.
