Hello, I'm Amber Nyblad the 2009 Michigan Apple Queen.

Hello Michigan Apple Growers,

Over the past year I have been so honored to be the 2008 Michigan Apple Queen. I have met with so many amazing people, attended so many events and will cherish every one of the memories made.

(A follow-up to my previous entry regarding the fabulous feature article on a Michigan apple grower in the October issue of Martha Stewart Living.)

Welcome to the new Michigan Apple blog, where you will find information on everything of interest pertaining to the state's apple industry.

This is an exciting venture, which I expect will generate conversation, comments and of course, interest in Michigan Apples.

The 950 growers here in the Great Lakes State pride themselves on producing a wide variety of flavorful apples. Michigan ranks third in the nation in terms of apple production, averaging about 20 million bushels or 840 million pounds of apples. That's a whole lot of apples and that means a whole lot to discuss.

A new term was coined a few years ago that makes me realize how bad the obesity epidemic really is: “Globesity"

In 2002, the United Nations' World Health and Food and Agriculture Organizations met jointly to address the global obesity epidemic. There are now more than 1 billion overweight adults worldwide, with at least 300 million deemed obese. Some scientists predict “globesity" will outstrip infectious disease deaths by the end of the decade. As a result, researchers are scrambling to identify what are the most effective methods to combat this global epidemic.

Hi everyone,

I am Laura Dietrich and I am the 2008 Michigan Apple Queen. I am the daughter of a fifth generation apple grower and have been born and raised on an apple farm. I have had so much fun on my family farm with my siblings and cousins. We have great memories of picking apples, trimming trees, and learning about all the different varieties of apples from our grandfather, uncle and father.