Peach prices are expected to skyrocket after a rare freeze in late April destroyed millions of dollars worth of fruit crops in New Jersey and Texas, leaving farmers reeling from an estimated $300 million in losses.
New Jersey Declares Emergency After Devastating Freeze
According to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the freeze struck during a critical stage of fruit development, severely damaging peach blossoms and young fruit. Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency and requested federal disaster assistance.
“New Jersey's agricultural sector is a vital engine of our economy; it is the very reason we bear the name the Garden State. The April freeze caused serious damage to our growers, and those losses demand decisive action,” Sherrill said in a statement. She added that the state's “farming families are hurting, and I won't stand by and let it happen.”
One grower, Tannwen Mount, who owns Terhune Orchards in Princeton, told Fox News that she and her family had never witnessed such a catastrophic loss. “It was really a catastrophic loss for our whole region, not just here at Terhune Orchards,” she said.
Another peach farmer, Tom Holtzhauser of Holtzhauser Farms in Mullica Hill, told ABC 6 that his trees are completely barren. “There should be peaches up and down on these limbs. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds,” he said. “You put your faith in Mother Nature and think that they're going to take care of you every year. These are years that sometimes she gives you a whippin'.”
Texas Farmers Face Chill Hour Shortage
Further south, Texas farmers are grappling with their own peach problems. This year's “chill hours” — the number of winter hours with temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit — dropped far below average, according to Tim Hartmann, assistant professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
He told WFAA that temperate fruit crops like peaches require chill hours to go dormant and survive the winter. “If you don't get enough sleep, you're likely to oversleep and will not function at your highest capacity,” he explained. “In the same way, trees that don't reach the required chill hours will bud late and not be productive.”
Louisiana Grower Left with Almost No Harvest
Joe Mitcham, owner of Mitcham Farms in Ruston, Louisiana, dealt with freeze issues in March. He told the Lincoln Parish Journal that a late March freeze destroyed nearly all of his harvest this year. “We may have a peach or two, but not enough to justify the work to process them,” he said.
He noted similar losses across the South and predicted that prices would remain high as a result. “Growers lost their crops all across the South,” Mitcham said. “So they're very expensive when you can find them.”
California Supply Also Dwindles, But for Different Reasons
California's peach supply also took a hit this year, but not due to weather. Farmers in California will likely have to destroy approximately 420,000 clingstone peach trees after the shuttering of Del Monte canneries. Without Del Monte to buy their peaches, farmers have no market for their crops. Del Monte announced the closure in April after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July.
With multiple regions facing severe losses, consumers can expect higher peach prices and limited availability in the coming months.
