Jake Samascott’s family grows about 100 acres of apples on their farm south of Albany, new York. According to the Daily Mail, he says, “It definitely was cold enough so that there could be some catastrophic damage to the majority of the apple crop.”
Samascott was talking about the blast of unseasonably cold air that moved into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states earlier this week shortly after a warm spell had sped up bud growth on the apple trees. As they mature, buds become more sensitive to cold, and this makes this cold snap particularly troubling.
New York is a big apple-producing state, and farmers are already beginning to assess the damage done, even as they are preparing for another blast of cold air. ABC News is reporting farmers are already out checking individual buds on the trees, but they really won’t have a good estimate of the damage until next week at the earliest.
“We have at least one more cold night by the end of the weekend, early next week, if forecasts hold, to get through,” said Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm in Aspers, Pennsylvania. “And of course, there’s not a whole lot we can do about it.”
Mr. Samascott fears he could lose 90 percent of his apple crop this year because the temperature dipped to 10 degrees and below this week. Three Springs could lose half its early varieties of apples, like Honeycrisp and Gala. Wenk is also worried about his peaches, strawberries, and blueberries.
Some apple farmers have tried reducing the damage by using windmill-like machines that direct warmer air toward the trees, but its actually too early to tell if they had any effect, so they play a waiting game.
“It’s almost too early to tell, but I still feel we have a crop,” said Dwight Baugher of Baugher’s Orchards & Farm in Westminster, Maryland, reports CTV News Canada. He added that his apple drop “got smacked pretty good” with overnight temperatures in the mid to low 20s this week.
Right now, it is difficult to assess the damage because a lot depends on the varieties of apples grown, where the farms are located and how low the temperatures dropped. Even individual farms can be affected differently. Trees in a valley might be hit hard while trees on a hillside could escape harm. Orchards further North, like in the Champlain Valley of New York will probably escape harm altogether because they bud later in the season.
Stephanie Craft has an apple farm in Walworth, New York. She says she is trying to stay positive, even though temperatures dropped to 11 degrees this week. “I think we’re going to — knock on wood — be all right,” she said.
