Temperatures in the Wiregrass are finally straying away from the summertime feeling and starting to feel more like fall.

As temperatures continue to lower, the possibility of a freeze is in the back of a farmer’s mind.

“The fruit is already going into production,” said John Aplin, owner of Aplin Farms. “They are blooming, they have flowers on them, or they have fruit on them, then all of a sudden you get a late freeze, then your fruit freezes and it’s gone for the year.”

Aplin recalls a freeze causing yield damage happening the last two years.

“Across the entire south, I would say there was probably state to state, depending on which state it was, there was probably a 70 to 90 percent peach crop loss this year,” said Aplin.

While no freeze is on the Wiregrass this early, farmers like Aplin have ways they can prevent a frosty disaster.

“We have frost blankets. We pull frost blankets over the fields. We don’t have wind machines but most of the big peach growers have big wind machines, they try to create wind and bring the warm air down from up above,” said Aplin. “We usually burn hay bales or burn whatever we need to burn to create enough heat in the orchard, not to keep them warm, but to keep the frost and freeze out of the orchards.”

These methods are meant to be used in the colder times, but if a freeze occurs later in the season, Aplin says it’s tough to battle.

In many cases, trees and crops will be preparing for warmer temperatures and the freeze will oftentimes lead to loss.

“There’s nothing we can do to compare them because we can’t control the weather. We can do the best we can, but I mean, when the trees start making fruit, that’s an irreversible process,” said Aplin. “When they start blooming, I can’t stop them from blooming and I can’t stop them. They bloom whenever it is time, and if it freezes, we have to do the best we can at the time.”

The March 2023 freeze was so significant, four states qualified for disaster relief funding, according to the Farm Service Agency. Estimates of Georgia peach crop loss hovered around 95 percent for 2023.

Source - https://www.wtvy.com