The month of April has had its ups and downs with weather. Fruit growers across the state have seen losses due to two hard freezes the first week of the month, a Virginia Farm Bureau release said. Apple, cherry, nectarine, peach, strawberry and wine grape crops were hit by freezing temperatures in Nelson County, according an April 11 crop weather report from the Virginia office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. "Weather conditions turned wintry with freezing temperatures and snow in parts of the state, damaging crops," the crop report said. "Farming activities for the week included planting corn and trying to protect crops from frost by using various methods; now producers are assessing the damage to crops including fruit, barley, corn, potatoes and wheat." According to the report, tree fruit producers in the central part of the state are preparing for crop thinning, if needed. Vineyard owners are assessing damage to expanded buds and emerging shoots, the report said. The cold weather delayed corn planting for growers across the state and winter grain farmers in Eastern Virginia may have lost some yields, the farm bureau said. “We had row covers on all our strawberries and a few blueberry bushes Tuesday night, and we irrigated on April 9,” said Jay Yankey, owner of Yankey Farms, a pick-your-own operation in Prince William County, in a release. “We lost about 30 percent of our strawberry blooms. We had them covered, but it got down to 22 degrees, and the row covers only offer about 4 degrees of protection. So anything below 28 degrees means you start losing blossoms.” “April 9 we ran irrigation over the row covers from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m., and by doing so we were able to keep the temperature under the covers at about 33 degrees and we didn’t suffer any additional losses,” Yankey added. To combat the freeze, Yankey said he uses fabric row covers or sets up his sprinkler system, a release said. “It’s probably more unusual to have a year where there’s no need to protect from freezes,” he said in a release. “Some of the larger fruit growers have wind machines. Elevation and just a little bit of a breeze can make a big difference on how much frost damage you get.” One problem farmers are facing the timing of crops in regards to the freeze. “The barley crop was about two weeks ahead of wheat, and the timing was all wrong," said David Moore, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in Essex County, in a release. “We’ll see some buggy-whipping and burnt ends, and now that the barley is starting to head out we’re seeing some empty heads. “I expect wheat may have some white heads too when it starts to head out, but not nearly as bad as the barley crop. There’s not a whole lot you can do about it except tell your crop insurance agent.” Source - newsleader.com