Some unseasonal temperature changes this year wreaked havoc on crops that should be growing right now in Georgia.
Farmers in the Peach State say the economic impact has been 'catastrophic.'
"In the state of Georgia, there is a 20% crop loss," says Trey Deck.
A 20% total loss, for a state that relies on agriculture.
"In the state of South Carolina, in the Upstate, it is a 100% loss," says Deck.
Similar numbers for farmers across the South.
A new report from the University of Georgia this week found that the state lost 90% of its peach crop.
Part of the problem: an unexpected cold snap.
"We had a little bit of a frost a couple of years ago in late April, but nowhere near the damage that this one did," says Deck.
Trey Deck works with Magic Partners to help sell the crops that they grow.
He says the economic impact of peach crop damage is catastrophic.
"That's going to that's going to put a lot of people in peril, because you have migrant workers who are unable to pick, you have farmers who have nothing to sell," says Deck.
Deck says because of the temperature drop, some peaches haven't been able to mature in size, causing them to be the size of a ping pong ball.
"Temperatures in January, February were so far above average locally," says David Glenn.
Chief Meteorologist David Glenn says a “hard freeze” is to blame.
"March had some extremely cold temperatures, what we call a hard freeze where temperatures are in the 20s for several hours for two mornings in a row," says Glenn.
Johnny Roden is a contractor with the Tennessee Aquarium who works with farmers throughout the state.
"Crops are inherently risky business, and we can't control the weather," says Roden.
He says there are ways to mitigate crop damage during severe weather.
"You can maybe use a high tunnel, which is basically a metal frame with plastic over it and that kind of insulates the plants a little bit and kind of makes a more friendly growing environment and kind of keeps some of the frost from hitting them as hard," says Roden.
When asked about the Tennessee Aquarium's involvement with agricultural producers, Roden sent us this statement:
"The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute began working with local USDA-NRCS offices in 2018 to start a partnership to address aquatic resource concerns in the Sequatchie and Tennessee River watersheds. This partnership led to the development of a Regional Conservation Partnership Program titled 'Ridges to Rivers.' This partnership includes the TN Aquarium, TN NRCS, state conservation agencies, local soil and water conservation districts, and easement groups. This partnership has resulted in the allocation of 10 million dollars to be spent on conservation outreach, education, and financial assistance to landowners and farmers seeking to apply conservation practices to their land. These practices would include the ones we discussed in the interview, such as cover crops and high tunnels, and also many more."
Farmers are also worried about other crops.
Source - https://newschannel9.com
