A devastating April freeze will push back the start of some late-spring and summer crops out of the Northeast, including the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tristate area, and will impact supplies of a number of commodities, such as New Jersey peaches, New York apples and Connecticut strawberries.
Perennial crops like berries, cherries and other tree fruit are among the most affected by a period of temperature extremes in early spring, says Kurt Alstede, an owner, founder and general manager of Alstede Farms, Chester, N.J.
It all began when unseasonably warm weather brought on a lot of tender new growth in the perennials.
“Things went bad because we had three or four days of extraordinarily warm weather,
then the temperatures dropped into the upper teens and stuff got killed despite everybody’s best protection methods,” Alstede says.
The damage extended from Albany, N.Y., to North Carolina, he says.
“I have never seen an event that is as widespread and as indiscriminate as this was,” he says.
New Jersey
Peaches were the most seriously impacted crop, says Joe Atchison III, New Jersey’s assistant secretary of agriculture. Shipments will be limited this summer.
Impact on the state’s blueberries will depend on variety.
Blueberry season will begin sometime between June 11 and June 15, about a week later than usual. Quality of the berries that survived the weather event should be excellent, Atchison adds.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency in New Jersey on May 20 and said in a news release that assessments indicate farm crop damage exceeded 30% in many areas. Some growers anticipate 100% losses for certain crops.
Early estimates suggest at least $300 million in total crop losses for New Jersey growers
and farmers.
New York
Brian Reeves, an owner of Reeves Farms in Baldwinsville, N.Y., says that area had “a challenging spring” with almost record rain and temperatures dipping down to 25°F.
Strawberries were the only commodity that suffered frost damage at Reeves Farms, he says. But some other crops, including blueberries, will come on later than usual.
“An unseasonable cold spring” also will impact the size of the apple crop, says Alisha Albinder, vice president of Hudson River Fruit Distributors, Milton, N.Y.
“That said, we still anticipate having good volumes with Honeycrisp, gala, mcintosh, Snapdragon, EverCrisp and many other varieties,” she says.
Harvest begins in late August and runs through November.
Connecticut
Connecticut also felt the chill.
“It’s been a cool, wet spring, so the volume of some tree fruit is going to be way off,” says William Jarjura, owner of JP Jarjura & Sons Co., Waterbury, Conn.
However, some tristate growers seem to be making their way through the spring in relatively good shape.
Vineland, N.J.-based Consalo Family Farms, whose product is packed and marketed by its The Fresh Wave Fruit & Produce division, will grow and ship a wide range of products, including blueberries, bunched vegetables, herbs and lettuce, says Morgan DiMartino, vice president of marketing.
“Overall quality has been very strong so far this season,” she said in late May. “Cooler spring temperatures benefited many of our crops, especially the leafy greens, and we have not experienced any major weather-related issues or disruptions.”
Harvest had already begun in mid-May on some items and will continue throughout the summer into early fall, she says.
JP Jarjura & Sons will start shipping in mid-June, probably with some greens, like collards, kale, broccoli and squash, Jarjura says.
Native strawberries would typically kick off the season, but this year, strawberries probably will be limited because of the freeze, he says.
Peppers, tomatoes and eggplant will get underway later in the season. Shipments will continue until first frost, probably in October or November.
In all, the company offers about 300 items.
Outlook
Alstede emphasizes that, despite the losses, fresh fruits and vegetables from the tristate area will still be available.
“Most growers are in our situation, where they suffered some loss, but there will still be crops,” he says.
Prices likely will be higher, though.
“These farmers are already paying a lot more for fuel, fertilizer and labor,” he says. “The last thing they needed was to have something impact their crop this year.”
