The upcoming Georgia peach crop is looking a lot like the 2024 crop of peaches from the state. "This never happens–two crops in a row that are timed so similar with a crop set that is also similar," says Lawton Pearson of Pearson Farm.
This comes after two relatively comparable winter seasons. "We had a little bit more chill this year and no frost in the spring, though we had six inches of snow in January which never happens," he says, adding that it's leading to a bigger thinning job on the trees compared to last year. More recently the weather has been dry which will lead to a higher sugar content in the fruit.
© Pearson Farms
As for the harvest start, Pearson Farm is picking its first peach on May 5th and harvest goes until the second week in August.
The consistency in seasons is especially good news given the challenges of growing peaches in Georgia. "We have some fungal diseases popping up and it's becoming tougher and tougher to control every year," Pearson says, adding that weather changes mean that the diseases change too making it an ongoing issue for growers.
Concerns around growing
What can also be challenging is keeping trees healthy, given they are experiencing more chill stress now. "We're also in our 140th year here growing and I can't move my farm which means we're figuring out new ways to grow peaches on old dirt–it's requiring more of a holistic approach," says Pearson, adding it's working with rotation cover crops and tree nutrition to keep the trees healthy.
© Pearson Farms
Meanwhile, as far as demand for Georgia peaches, there's hope it will be as strong as it was last year. "We had a good crop on the whole East Coast and while last year we came off of a good crop, we had no crop in 2023," he says. "That's scary because you have to go back then and rebuild relationships and programs. However, coming off of the strong year last year with good fruit and good demand to move it all, hopefully, we'll build off of that. Consistency can be rare in the southeast."
Pricing could also be similar to last year, even with higher labor costs which in all have increased by 40 percent over the last three years. He also has concerns about shipping fruit to Canada given the tariff talk between the two countries.
For more information:
Lawton Pearson
Pearson Farm
Tel: +1 (888) 423-7374
[email protected]
https://pearsonfarm.com
