MUSELLA, Ga. — Most blueberry and peach farmers sit on pins and needles because one hard freeze can wipe out a crop. Peaches have an economic impact of $240 million for the state, and the biggest producers all sit in Central Georgia.
We’re going to get a good bit of rain this week and we’re still in winter, so the rain is going to bring the cold temperatures. This weekend is setting up to be a nightmare for peach farmers.
“This tree is healthy, it got the cold requirements it needs,” said Lee Dickey.
He's well on his way to having a very productive peach season on his 1,000 acres in Musella. But the 25-degree forecast for Sunday night sent shivers down his spine and the rest of the peach farmers in Georgia.
“It’ll come down a little bit to microclimate. How cold does it get in this specific field based on elevation, wind, and everything else? We are certainly nervous; those are temperatures down below what your typical blooms can handle,” said Dickey.
Those flowers or peach blossom blooms are key. The petals will morph into baby peaches, and the more flowers on the stalk right now, the greater risk for Dickey’s bottom line.
“When we start getting down into low 20s, it gets pretty dangerous when it comes down to bloom survival,” said Dickey. “We are fairly along into bloom. It's not just a couple of varieties that are in bloom, it's pretty widespread.”
There is a little hope on the horizon – closed blooms could make it through, and Dickey altered the pruning process. Pruning gives a tree more strength to produce that big Georgia treat.
“We’ve delayed that pruning process as late as we can. We don’t prune the trees as hard as we typically would if we knew a freeze wasn’t coming,” said Dickey.
For now, it’s a waiting game. Farmers should have a good idea of damage reports by Tuesday.