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This year’s Georgia peach crop tanks [1]
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Date: 2023-07-16
This year’s Georgia peach crop tanks
A combination of unusual weather early in the growing season this year has virtually destroyed Georgia’s peach harvest. A warm winter with two late spring frosts literally nipped the crop “in the bud.”
According to Lanier Pearson, co-owner of the state’s oldest peach farm,
“This year has been particularly challenging," Pearson said, "We lost over 90 percent of our peach crop.” “We had a warmer winter than normal, so most of our peaches did not get enough chill hours," Pearson said. "So, already we were a little off. Then we had two spells of really cold weather, and once the trees blossom, they’re very vulnerable to cold weather. So, temperatures below freezing can kill the little baby peach that’s inside.”
Michael Toma, a professor of economics at Georgia Southern University, said that this means consumers will likely pay more for Georgia’s favorite fruit this year.
“Basically, this is just a matter of straight-up supply and demand," Toma said. “It’s $36 a half bushel as compared to $29 a half bushel a year ago.”
Toma said that the cost of wholesale peaches is up 25 percent from last year, and he said that the price could increase by another 25 percent this season.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/16/2181541/-This-year-s-Georgia-peach-crop-tanks
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