Arkansas/South Carolina lost 90% of total peach crop due to March freeze
An overnight freeze on March 18, which brought temperatures down to the mid-20s in much of the northern half of Arkansas, severely damaged much of the state's peach production, experts with the Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said.
Boone County agricultural agent Mike McClinton in Arkansas said the freeze meant a near-total loss for peach growers in his county.
For South Carolina, it marked the worst peach crop in 10 years, since the Easter freeze of 2007 destroyed 90 percent of the crop with close to $1 billion in crop damage across the region. The Easter freeze hit April 6 and 7, 2007.
“Peaches are a signature crop in South Carolina and this weather anomaly has devastated peach farmers,” said Hugh Weathers, South Carolina commissioner of Agriculture. “However, as South Carolina farmers have shown again and again, they are resilient and with the help of allied industry partners, they will survive this devastating blow.”
source: pbcommercial.com, southeastfarmpress.com
