USA - Rain, disease wreak havoc on Adams County orchards

15.11.2018 119 views
Fruit grower Bruce Hollabaugh is ready to turn the page on 2018. It started in early August with what he describes as the worst hail storm to ever hit his family's farm in Biglerville, Pa. "Because of its timing, in 10 minutes the storm reduced our peach crop by 75%, small fruits by 50% to 60%, pears by 50% and apples by about 35%," says Hollabaugh, the farm's production and field personnel manager. Rain fell the entire month of August and early September, causing an "explosion" of fire blight that claimed thousands of trees. This was the story of the 2018 growing season for many growers in Adams County, home of Pennsylvania's fruit belt. Brenda Briggs, vice president of marketing for Rice Fruit Co., says the company is seeing 25% less apples this year from the 35 growers they get fruit from. Briggs says growers dealt with three times the normal amount of rainfall this season, affecting such varieties as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Galas and others. Honeycrisp, which has become the crown jewel of fresh-market apples, was especially hard hit, Briggs says, even though early August varieties were unscathed. "The early Honeys came in around the second week of august, but it was the regular strains of September Honeys that got affected the most; 50% of that fruit," she says. "So that was the one that was a real heartbreaker." Lots of damaged trees Hollabaugh Brothers grows 350 acres of fruit, 125 acres of apples. Bruce Hollabaugh says fire blight destroyed at least 12,000 trees, with the possibility of up to 15,000 trees by the time harvest is completely wrapped up. "We're prematurely removing 18 acres of apples that were in the prime of their life due to the disease," he says. "Until we clean up the rest of the orchards, it likely will cost us close to 20% of our producing apple trees."
The constant rain, he says, created conditions that were nearly impossible to work in "or caused permanent destruction to the orchard floor due to working in so much mud." He says many acres were submerged in water for weeks, causing even more damage. Moving on Hollabaugh says crop insurance likely won't help this year since their catastrophic coverage only covers crop losses above 50%. The Farm Service Agency's Tree Assistance Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, helps cover the cost to replant trees, bushes and vines lost to natural disasters so long as there is 15% mortality in a stand. It covers up to 1,000 acres on a farm and growers can get up to 65% of the cost to replant trees. Still, Hollabaugh says replanting will be costly since his high-density orchards cost $14,000 to $20,000 per acre depending on the variety. Storage concerns Briggs says there are concerns about storage due to many apples already being in bad shape. The worst apples, she says, will be shipped to processors that make them into applesauce and other products, but the end price is lower for the grower. Controlled-atmosphere storage facilities are vital to fresh-market production. Apples are placed in rooms where oxygen levels are dropped, essentially putting the apples to sleep. The idea is to preserve the freshness of apples for long periods of time before they go out to area stores.
With many apples cracked and waterlogged, Briggs says the concern is that much of the crop won't make it through long-term storage. "We don't really know what the fruit will be like three or four months down the road, but we'll keep working through it," she says. Source - https://www.americanagriculturist.com
27.03.2024

Turkey - Climate change may affect grape cultivation

A recent study has highlighted the impact of the climate crisis on viticulture in Turkey, predicting that the expected rise in temperatures and reduced rainfall could shift the suitability of vineyard regions for grape production over the next three decades.

27.03.2024

Crop crisis reveals El Niño’s toll on Southern Africa

New findings from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) reference group highlight the significant impact of the 2023/24 El Niño event on various aspects of climate and agriculture in Southern Africa.

27.03.2024

Philippines - Crop losses reach P80M as drought hits Negros Oriental

As the El Niño phenomenon worsens in Negros Oriental, damage to rice, corn, and other high-value crops has reached more than PHP80.4 million, the Department of Agriculture-Provincial Agriculture Technology Coordinating Office (DA-PATCO) said Tuesday.

27.03.2024

USA - Farmers say coverage has become unavailable or unaffordable as drought and floods increasingly threaten their crops

Farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables are often finding crop insurance prohibitively expensive — or even unavailable — as climate change escalates the likelihood of drought and floods capable of decimating harvests.

27.03.2024

India - Telangana Minister assures financial support for rain-affected farmers

Telangana Excise and Prohibition Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has assured the farmers that the government is committed to providing financial help to the cultivators whose crops were damaged due to unseasonal rains.

27.03.2024

Australia - Managing canola pests using beneficial insects, spiders and mites

Australian grain growers will benefit from improved pest management strategies with the commencement of two new research projects focusing on beneficial insects (beneficials) in canola.

27.03.2024

USA - Early blooms indicate strong fruit year if frost, freeze can be avoided

Warm temperatures in late February and early March have led fruit trees across Virginia to blossom early. Based on what growers are seeing, the number of blooms indicate at banner crop. However, there is a risk a portion of that crop could be wiped out by a freeze or frost.

27.03.2024

USA - As winters warm, Wisconsin fruit growers brace for the worst

On a cool, early spring morning in March, Liz Griffith stands among her apple trees, reaching to the very highest branches with a pole saw. Birds that have already returned north call to each other over the “snip snip” of shears, as Griffith and her staff prune through eight acres of apple trees on her orchard in Cottage Grove.

istanbul escort şişli escort tbilisi escort şişli escort şişli escort maslak escort istanbul escort beşiktaş escort taksim escort izmir escort ümraniye escort mecidiyeköy escort şişli escort taksim escort ümraniye escort kartal escort şirinevler escort maltepe escort istanbul escort ümraniye escort kadıköy escort vip escort mersin escort istanbul escorts ataköy escort avcılar escort beylikdüzü escort okmeydanı escort şişli escort tuzla escort işitme cihazı sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop