Apples are unusual insofar as they can be stored for 12+ months. Most produce isn’t so resilient.

Yeah it's crazy. My late dad's old farm just had basically a big room that had concrete crating above a hole in soil (I believe it was to just keep it cool in the warmer months) and they could be stored from autumn to spring. No AC of any sort, just a small furnace to give off a bit of heat when winter gets really cold and some big fans for forced ventilation.

This is very true, a late frost can wipe you out for the year.

> The weather is the main variable that can't be controlled.

This is what's extremely concerning - weather is getting less predictable every year. In a decade, who's going to want to start a farm when they have no idea what their local climate is?

> A friend of mine in the apple business says you get 4 bad years in a row and then one great year to cover the 4 bad ones and make an overall profit. The weather is the main variable that can't be controlled.

From my memory the years where crops were unusually high were also ones where price was shit... because everyone else nearby also had a good crop