Warm weather in the South and cold weather in the Midwest has affected the US peach crop this year. It’s been a hard year for the fruit, not only in southern Illinois, but in the big peach-producing states of Georgia and South Carolina as well. While cold weather affected the peach crop in Illinois, warm weather affected the southeast; all of this is leading to a national shortage.
Kay Rentzel, the executive director of the National Peach Council, said losing peaches from the South certainly has an impact: “With such a significant number and volume of fresh peaches coming out of Georgia and South Carolina in any typical year, it does make a big difference to the marketplace and the availability of fresh peaches.”
Georgia’s production in 2023 is down 90-95% of the state’s usual numbers, and South Carolina’s will be down 60-70%, Ms Rentzel said.
Duke Lane III, farmer and president of Georgia’s Peach Council, said this year was the worst for the state since 1955: “It’s devastating for all the people that are involved in that — from the farms to the employees to the transportation companies and, obviously, our retail partners,” Lane III said. “It’s a pretty big ripple effect when the Georgia peach doesn’t really have much of a crop.”
Source: kcur.org
