Peters Township farmer loses peach crop to late freeze
Pennsylvania fruit growers are assessing damage to their crops following a late April freeze that came at a critical stage in the annual growing cycle.
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is reporting losses of at least $28 million for producers across the state so far, but that number is expected to rise significantly.
“I don’t know what the number is going to be at the end of this, but that’s significantly below what I expect it’s going to be,” said the farm bureau’s Will Whisler. “That’s the number with only 52 farmers who produce (fruit crops) in the state reporting. That’s a small fraction of the number of (fruit farmers). The freeze had a devastating impact. It’s pretty bad.”
It is feared that Pennsylvania – which ranks fourth in the nation in apple production – could lose as much as 80% of its fruit crop this spring, while peach, cherry, and grape crops also were affected.
Simmons Farm in Peters Township has lost its peach crop this year, forcing the farm to cancel its annual pick-your-own peaches event.
“Basically, we won’t have a crop this season,” said fifth-generation farmer Scott Simmons, tugging at the branch of a peach tree that had two developing peaches on it. “On this one branch, there should be 30 at least. In any case, this is not enough for us to spray or water or take care of.”
The farm bureau has sent a survey to its 25,000 members across the state to determine the impact of the April frost on farms throughout the state.
According to data collected so far, 71% of the 106 respondents reported expected losses of 75%, and 33% of people who responded said they predict a total loss.
“A large chunk of the respondents said this was the worst loss they’ve experienced in decades of farming,” said Whisler.
Simmons said the farm recorded temperatures around 28 degrees on April 20 and 21.
That frost was part of a double whammy: Simmons said extreme cold from a “winter kill” earlier this year damaged some of the crops, and the April freeze “finished them off.”
Whisler said Pennsylvania recorded one of its warmest Aprils on record, and “what we’re understanding is, there were record high temperatures in April, and it kind of tricked the flowers into blooming earlier, and a lot of fruit started to bloom. Basically, anything that bloomed early was killed by that frost.”
Simmons said he will use a grower from Chambersburg to stock and sell peaches in the farm’s marketplace this year. He is covering other crops, including strawberries and corn, when the temperatures drop.
The farm’s apple crop emerged relatively unscathed, and Simmons predicts it will yield 90% of its anticipated fruit.
“We’re all right on apples. That goes by variety, though. Red delicious, we don’t have any,” he said. “With apples, one variety will be full bloom today, and a week later, another variety will bloom.”
Outcomes can vary at different farms, and at Trax Farms in Finleyville, farmer Mike Allridge said the apple crop emerged relatively unscathed.
“We didn’t have a lot of damage; we weren’t impacted very much,” said Allridge.
While farmers like Simmons say this has happened before, the frost came at a bad time for many of them, as they also face a rise in production costs.
“It’s tough. You’re talking about high input costs related to fertilizer and gas prices, and you put it all together and it’s not a great situation for a lot of these businesses,” said Whisler.
Help could be on the way. Rep. Dan Moul, Republican Chairman of the Pennsylvania House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, is calling for federal emergency funding for the state’s fruit farmers.
“My aim is to protect those who feed us, the jobs they provide and the positive economic impact both have on Adams County and all of Pennsylvania,” said Moul. “Helping our farmers helps all of us.”