Blast of Arctic air could have impact on peach crop
NATICK - While Ms. G, the official groundhog of Massachusetts declared spring is on its way, there is extreme cold ahead. It could have a big impact on local farms.
"The biggest thing with livestock is that they are exposed to the outdoors all the time. So, they'll get extra food and make sure their water isn't frozen," said Tia Pinney, Senior Naturalist at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln.
There is little farmers can do for some stone fruit like the 14,000 peach trees grown at Lookout Farm in Natick.
"There are precautions but they're really not practical in nature. One of them would be to water down, so you had an ice layer on all of the branches, but on 20 acres under cultivation and 14,000 peach trees, it's just not really a practical application," said Jay Mofenson, farm manager at Lookout Farm.
The orchard understands the impact of extreme cold temperatures. "In 2016, we did lose the entire peach crop. It was about $100,000 in wholesale damage," Mofenson said.
Peach trees are more vulnerable to a rapid drop in temperature while apple trees can withstand temperatures as low as -30 degrees.
"Once we hit around -10 degrees, it could be very damaging to the peaches for that season," Mofenson said.
But after our fifth warmest January on record, peach buds are already starting to show.
"This is the standard bud that we have, and fortunately it remains really tight on the tree, so hopefully it will hold up to the cold weather we have coming," Mofenson said.
And now it's just a waiting game.
"In probably the second week of April, we'll see whether or not the buds made it or not, we'll know if it flowers. If it flowers, then we have fruit, if you don't have flowers, then there is no fruit this year," Mofenson said.
Mofenson is cautiously optimistic ahead of this blast of Arctic air, but we'll have to wait and see until the spring.
