Georgia, the Peach State, is experiencing a complete absence of peach crop this year.
Robert Dickey went to bed feeling sick to his stomach on a Monday in March. After a few weeks of tropical weather, the temperature suddenly dropped, and he knew that his thousand acres of blooming peach trees would be covered in ice by morning.
Due to an unusually warm winter followed by spring frosts, 90% of Georgia’s peach crop has been destroyed this year. The trio of orchards in middle Georgia, which account for 95% of the state’s peaches, typically ship over 150 million peaches to grocery stores. However, this summer the trees are bare and no commercial trucks are being packed. The last time the farmers lost an entire crop was in 1955.
While peach trees are already known for being delicate plants, climate change is causing even more concern for farmers. Peach trees require 600 to 1,000 “chill hours” per year, during which temperatures drop below 45°F (7°C), in order to bear fruit. However, winter averages in Georgia have been increasing, and crisp nights have become rare since 2016.
2023-06-08 08:48:57
Source from www.economist.com
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