Wanna scare an apple farmer? 

Just say one word: “Honeycrisp.”  

We're kidding…. But they do make farmers' lives harder. 

That’s according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal calling the variety a “farmer’s nightmare.” And that’s tough because they’re one of the most popular apples on the market. People can’t seem to resist their sweet, crunchy flavor. 

So there’s high demand for the apple… but honeycrisps are pretty demanding in return: They’re apparently thin-skinned. They bruise easily. And they’re susceptible to disease. 

Washington is the biggest apple producer in the entire country, so we asked a farmer in Chelan if this apple variety is rotten right to the core.  

Guest:
 Bill Clark runs the Diamondback Acres farm with his wife, Angell, in Chelan.  

Related links:
About Us – Chelan Ranch
America’s Favorite Apple Is a Farmer’s Nightmare - WSJ
Gala is Washington state's top apple this season - Axios Seattle

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes.

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Wanna scare an apple farmer?&nbsp;
Just say one word: &ldquo;Honeycrisp.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
We're kidding&hellip;. But they do make farmers' lives harder.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal calling the variety a &ldquo;farmer&rsquo;s nightmare.&rdquo; And that&rsquo;s tough because they&rsquo;re one of the most popular apples on the market. People can&rsquo;t seem to resist their sweet, crunchy flavor.&nbsp;
So there&rsquo;s high demand for the apple&hellip; but honeycrisps are pretty demanding in return: They&rsquo;re apparently thin-skinned. They bruise easily. And they&rsquo;re susceptible to disease.&nbsp;
Washington is the <a href="https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/article311624026.html">biggest apple producer in the entire country</a>, so we asked a farmer in Chelan if this apple variety is rotten right to the core.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Guest:
<ul>
<li>&nbsp;Bill Clark runs the Diamondback Acres farm with his wife, Angell, in Chelan.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Related links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://chelanranch.com/pages/about-us-1">About Us &ndash; Chelan Ranch</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/honeycrisp-apples-farmers-grow-fuji-gala-8914927a?mod=djem10point">America&rsquo;s Favorite Apple Is a Farmer&rsquo;s Nightmare - WSJ</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/10/15/washington-apple-ranking-2025-gala-cosmic-crisp-honeycrisp">Gala is Washington state's top apple this season - Axios Seattle</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-stringify-link="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes.</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

Honeycrisp apples are reportedly a "farmer's nightmare," according to the Wall Street Journal. A Washington farmer gives his take on whether that's true.

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