A warmer than usual winter has taken a toll on Georgia's most famous fruit.
“We’ve had some off crops, some bad years,” Lawton Pearson, a fifth-generation peach farmer, told thePearson is in charge of 1,700 acres of peach trees, which are this year producing only about a tenth to a 20of what they should have. And over at Dickey Farms, where the co-owner Lee Dickey has a 100,000-tree orchard, they’ve lost 80 to 90 percent of their peach crop.
The unfruitful year is in large part due to Georgia’s warming winters, with the first three months of 2023 being the hottest on record in the state. Peach trees, which enter dormancy after shedding their leaves in the fall, require a certain number of “chill hours”—time below 45 degrees Fahrenheit—for the buds to bloom correctly in the spring.
“Have that warm winter combined with a typical March freeze, and we’re not in a good spot to grow peaches anymore,” Pearson said. Final numbers for total peach loss won’t be available until mid-August, Jeff Cook, a peach agent at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, told. But he thinks that a conservative estimate is 95 percent loss, with that reflected in higher prices for the fruit this year.
To compensate for the bad year, farmers like Pearson and Dickey will rely on crop insurance, as well as other produce like pecans. In the future, they might opt to plant peach varieties that require fewer chill hours, making them a bit more resilient to climate change. And locals, including the agricultural climatologist Pam Knox, remain optimistic about Georgia’s peach future.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fossil Fuels Made Up 82 Percent of Global Energy Consumption in 202282% of global energy still came from fossil fuels in 2022, a reminder that the world is not moving fast enough to address climate change.
Read more »
NASA Thrilled That Astronauts Drink 98 Percent of Recycled Bodily FluidsNASA has announced that astronauts on board the ISS are drinking water that is a whopping 98 percent recovered urine and sweat.
Read more »
Andrew Tate says he wants to train Elon Musk to fight Zuckerberg: ‘You will not lose’Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has extended an offer to Elon Musk to help him train for a potential fight against META CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Read more »
Wave lose match, but Alex Morgan looks sharp in World Cup sendoff matchAlex Morgan, Naomi Girma head a quintet of World Cup-bound Wave players at Saturday's match between San Diego and OL Reign
Read more »
Georgia man allegedly hit, killed by oncoming train, police investigatingGeorgia police are investigating after reports a man was allegedly struck by a CSX train Saturday night. Authorities responded and found a dead man near a railroad crossing.
Read more »
Georgia congressman wants to block US agency from slowing boats to protect endangered whalesA Georgia congressman wants lawmakers to block a federal agency from imposing new speed restrictions on boats and ships to protect a critically endangered whale species
Read more »