A warmer than average winter has some fruit trees on Berks County farms blooming early, putting those crops at risk of killing frosts, say local farmers who fear that trend will continue in years to come.
The trend of milder winters and early blooms is worrisome to farmers everywhere, said Ed Weaver, president of Weaver’s Orchard in Robeson Township.
“The problem is we’re seeing more extremes, and the whole fruit industry is concerned,” he said. “It can really be damaging. There may be some crops we can’t grow here anymore.”
At Frecon Farms in Colebrookdale Township, for example, its apricot and plum buds emerged prematurely, meaning now temperatures in the 20s for even a few hours could kill them for the season.
“It’s incredibly nerve-wracking,” said Steve Frecon, general manager of orchard operations.
While January and February were warmer than usual in southeast Pennsylvania, helping bring out those early blossoms, the arrival of consistent spring weather could be sluggish, with some below-freezing nights and mornings ahead, said Paul Pastelok, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
“We could still see some wintry patterns, which would be dangerous for sensitive plants and trees,” he said.
Last year Weaver’s lost its entire peach and nectarine crops, along with some plums, apples and cherries to the same phenomenon of a mild winter and subsequent frost, Weaver said.
“It seems like Mother Nature has gotten January and March flipped around,” he said.
Farmers said temperatures over the next few weeks will determine how viable some of those early budding fruit crops will be this year, or whether they will need to rely on crop insurance to cover their losses.
“Hopefully it doesn’t get below 30 degrees,” Weaver said. “The longer the period of cold temperatures, and the more wind, the more damage there would be.”
In addition to tree fruits, ground fruits such as strawberries are at risk because it’s typically colder down low, he said.
There are measures fruit farms can take to lower the chances of damage, such as covering rows of strawberries and blueberries with fibrous sheets to keep them warmer, or portable heaters, but it can’t eliminate all the frost-related dangers.
Frecon is thankful that trees on his farm growing apples, peaches and sweet cherries haven’t had their buds advance too far yet and hopes they’ll be all right, but he expects worrisome winters and springs will continue in years to come.
The 44-year-old said this was the warmest winter since he’s been farming, and the first when there was no need to plow snow from its roads.
“Warmer winters are the reality now,” he said. “The climate has changed. Any farmer can tell you that. And it’s hard to deny the data.”
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March 23, 2023 at 01:00AM
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Some Berks fruit crops at risk following tame winter, farmers say - Reading Eagle
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