Freeze wipes out most South Carolina peaches
Freeze wipes out most South Carolina peaches
COLUMBIA, SC -- South Carolina peach growers may have lost 90 percent of their crop to a devastating cold snap that hit Easter weekend, according to officials in the state.
Larry Yonce, president of the South Carolina Peach Council, and Hugh Weathers, commissioner of agriculture, issued a joint statement April 11 after a meeting with South Carolina Peach Council members and others in the peach industry. From initial reports, South Carolina peach growers say that they would be fortunate to have 10 percent of a crop.
"The peach is one of South Carolina's signature summertime fruits, and this one-year weather phenomenon has been a devastating blow to the industry for this year," Commissioner Weathers said in the statement. "But South Carolina growers are resilient. With the support of state and federal agencies and public and private partners, growers and their families will survive this devastating blow."
The state's peach industry is valued at more than $40 million a year with a $100-million-a-year economic impact. "This is a stressful time for family farms across the state, Mr. Yonce said in the statement. As much as we are concerned about the peach industry, we understand that this disaster extends to farmers and their communities throughout the state. We need extraordinary support during these extraordinary times."
(A detailed report on the freeze will appear in the April 16 issue of The Produce News.)
Larry Yonce, president of the South Carolina Peach Council, and Hugh Weathers, commissioner of agriculture, issued a joint statement April 11 after a meeting with South Carolina Peach Council members and others in the peach industry. From initial reports, South Carolina peach growers say that they would be fortunate to have 10 percent of a crop.
"The peach is one of South Carolina's signature summertime fruits, and this one-year weather phenomenon has been a devastating blow to the industry for this year," Commissioner Weathers said in the statement. "But South Carolina growers are resilient. With the support of state and federal agencies and public and private partners, growers and their families will survive this devastating blow."
The state's peach industry is valued at more than $40 million a year with a $100-million-a-year economic impact. "This is a stressful time for family farms across the state, Mr. Yonce said in the statement. As much as we are concerned about the peach industry, we understand that this disaster extends to farmers and their communities throughout the state. We need extraordinary support during these extraordinary times."
(A detailed report on the freeze will appear in the April 16 issue of The Produce News.)