By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s peach and blueberry crops were impacted by the sub-freezing temperatures felt across the state this past weekend. A few more days are needed, though, before growers know the extent of the potential damage, said Chris Butts, executive vice president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA).
“South Georgia blueberries got cold but those (farmers) that had irrigation in the fields to offer protection, they think they may have turned out okay. Peaches didn’t get as cold as they thought for as long as they thought,” Butts said. “We may have dodged a bullet, but I think we’re going to have some damage for sure. It may be a few days before we know exactly how much that is.”
The timing could not have been much worse for fruit producers to experience this latest freeze event. It was especially concerning for the state’s blueberry farmers.
“Just by chance I was in South Georgia (last) Thursday and Friday. Blueberry bushes not only have berries on the bushes already, a lot of those berries are getting close to coloring up and being mature. The timing was horrible from their standpoint,” Butts said. “With peaches, they got enough chill hours, but we’ve been warm the last couple of weeks. A lot of that crop was in full bloom, too. The timing was horrible, but hopefully we skated by, and we’ll not have 100% losses on anything.”
