An early spring in Michigan is making fruit growers nervous, as they worry it made lead to a late freeze and subsequently loss of crop, as happened in 2012. In that year, Michigan had temperatures in the high 70s, into the 80s in Mid-March, and then a cold snap in April, ruining most of the states apples.
“We’re hopeful that we won’t have to repeat that kind of disaster but its always a concern this time of year,” Phillips Orchard and Cider Farm Co-President Brian Phillips said.
After the disaster in 2012 when most growers lost everything, some growers responded by putting in place safe guards against the fluctuating temps.
“Once you lose 100 percent of your crop, it forces you to look at what other areas of the world do,” Country Mill Owner Steve Tennes said.
Tennes installed a sprinkler system to keep the buds cooler through March and April so they don’t bloom too early, as well as a method to raise heat from the ground if the state sees freezing temperatures through April and May.
The Orchard also installed a fan that can raise temperatures near the trees up to five degrees warmer, across an 8 acre wide range.
The warmer temperatures are not raising too many concerns as of now as long as they stay mild, and we don’t see any major freezes in late April.
Source - freshplaza.com
