Frost causes fruit and labor problems in Colorado
The problem for fruit farmers is frost.
"Frost is our biggest single risk factor in growing fruit in western Colorado," says Bruce Talbott of Talbott Farms.
Talbott says they used fans and propane heaters to try to fight off the frost when temperatures dropped into the 20's in Palisade.
But it may not have been enough.
After assessing the trees, Talbott believes 10 to 20 percent of his crop has been lost.
He says the most damage was done to apricots, rich lady peaches and cherries.
Other varieties of peach, apple and pear trees develop later in the season and seem to have fared better.
He says the crop damage goes beyond just the loss of fruit.
"When we don't have fruit, we can't keep a lot of the labor that we spend years attracting and maintaining, and they have to go somewhere else because we don't have anything for them to do."
Source: kktv.com
