Commercial apple production in the Southeast is concentrated in the Appalachian mountain regions of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. More than 60 percent of the approximately 10,000 acres in the area is located in North Carolina, the country’s seventh-largest apple producing state.

The industry is supported by a team of research and extension personnel at North Carolina State University, with the goal of helping growers produce safe and high quality fruit, develop and implement modern horticultural and pest management programs, and prepare for anticipated changes in regulatory and marketing programs.