April freeze hit apple orchards at the core

The region saw unusually warm weather in late April. Temperatures neared 80 degrees, luring apple trees and other fruit crops into the early stages of growth.

Then overnight Monday, April 20, to Tuesday, April 21, the temperature fell into the 20s.

That frost was devastating, destroying up to 90 percent of some growers’ crops, which also included peaches, cherries, grapes and, at least for one Pennsylvania farmer, kiwis. New York officials estimate the loss in the Hudson Valley alone at $30 million.

Some farms did better than others, but all orchards in the area were affected. A number of orchards are planning to amp up other crops, goodies and events due to the loss of agritourism revenue from apple picking. Others are waiting to see if some can re-coup while still others are calling for help from the government due to their losses.

In that regard:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is asking farmers to report crop damage to their local Farm Service Agency offices as assessments continue.

The USDA issued a statement offering disaster assistance to agricultural producers in Pennsylvania impacted by the freeze.

And New York Gov. Kathy Huchul and others in the state asked the USDA to order a disaster declaration that would allow Hudson Valley farmers to access millions in emergency relief and other resources.

The impact

Beemerville Orchard in Sussex, N.J., was hit very hard.

“It was devastating,” said Rena Bast, who owns the orchard with her husband, Peter.

“We had a 75 to 80 percent loss,” she said the orchard features apples, pears and peaches. “There will be no peaches whatsoever this year. The apples are showing a little more hope but we have to wait to see if any of the apples will set on the trees. We’re hoping to do something but U-pick most likely won’t be an option this season.”

Rowand’s Cherry Farm in South Jersey posted on social media that its entire cherry crop was wiped out. The farm has gone as far as launching a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised more than $16,000 to help offset the losses.

Tom Roe, owner of Roe’s Orchard in Chester, N.Y., said, “The freeze impacted for sure.” He’s waiting to see the severity and what the farm will do.

Wait and see

Jake Hunt of Windy Brow Farms in Fredon, N.J., said they’re in a wait-and-see phase.

“We still don’t have a super clear picture of what apples are gonna look like,” he said. “We’re hopeful for some blossoms that weren’t fully opened and therefore not fully affected.

“We are a little bit of a unique case in the sense that all the orchards are different topographically,” Hunt added. “We were definitely impacted with peaches being the most affected, but it’s still too early to tell with apples. We will know more once fruit sets in the next couple of weeks.”

As far as compensating, Hunt said Windy Brow plans to keep on doing what they do.

“We don’t want to try to change ourselves or do something we’re not good at to try to bring extra people to the farm to make up for whatever loss we might see with bells and whistles that don’t mean anything or aren’t executed to our standard,” Hunt added. “We’re gonna keep making delicious food, innovating in our kitchens and supporting our local community as we’ve done since 1946.”

Peters Orchard in Gardners, Pa., has been a family-owned and operated fruit and vegetable farm since 1870. Located along Route 94 in the heart of apple country, the farm issued a statement saying, “We’re just not sure yet how much crop we’ll have this year.”

Hillcrest Orchard & Dairy in Frankford Township, N.J., stated that it has lost the vast majority of its apple crop this season after the sudden shift in weather brought in freezing temperatures during peak bloom.

“As many of you know, Hillcrest Farm is the home of Jersey Girl Cheese. Not only a dairy farm, Hillcrest is also an apple orchard with over 10 varieties of apples,” the farm said in a statement. “Due to the dramatic change in the weather last week, with temperatures in the 80s, where our trees were in full bloom, then two nights of bitter frost, we are sad to report that we have lost our fruit for this season.

“We are confident in saying, approximately 90 percent of the apples are gone. So unfortunately, there will be no U-pick season,” the farm owners added in their statement. “We are hoping for enough to possibly press for cider, but in small quantities. Time will tell.”

The fan

Brian Bruno, the owner of Apple Ridge Farm in Saylorsburg, Pa., said though his farm doesn’t really specialize in apples, he heard that many farms who own heating fans were able to salvage their apples.

“The unexpected cold for this time of year knocked out our grapes and kiwis,” Bruno said, “but they’re fortunately starting up again.”

One of the farms with fan is Gould’s Produce in Broadheadsville, Pa.

“Last year we made a big investment and put in a fan in our main orchard,” owner Jamie Gould said. “It paid for itself and then some with the cold snap as it definitely saved a lot of our apple crop.”

He explained that the fan cycles warmer air out to the orchard saving the buds which extrapolate into apples.

“We started doing U-pick apples last year, and whether that will be viable this year is up in the air, but I think so at least to some degree,” Gould added. “It all depends on how many apples fall prematurely.”

One guarantee

“Apple Dave’s lost a significant portion of our crop as did our neighbors and friends from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Albany,” said Peter Hull, son of Apple Dave and a farmer and morale director. “Fortunately, our farm and most local farms are ‘pick your own’ orchards who are significantly geared to ‘fun in the orchard’ rather than producing copious quantities of apples.”

Hull said that as a result, the Warwick, N.Y., farm will be open and doing all that its staff can do to provide regular customers with a fun day in the countryside.

“They may end up taking home a pie and a smaller bag of apples,” Hull said, “but the apple donuts are guaranteed.