Everett Griner talks about why the tree fruit crops are not up to standards in today’s Agri View.
Tree Fruit Standards
I think it is safe to say that most of us are all happy with last winter’s weather. It was a mild winter, to say the least. But, it proved costly to fruit farmers all along the southern tier of our country. Apple growers in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Peach growers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia did not produce the kind of crops they needed. Not enough cold weather. They call it ‘chill hours’. That is the temperature between 35 and 45 degrees. A tree has to have between 250 and 500 hours of those temperatures to bud properly. If the tree does not bud properly, it does not produce a good crop. Peaches are more sensitive to chill hours than apples. But, both suffered from those mild winters. There will be a crop. It won’t make growers happy, nor rich.
That’s Agri View for today. I’m Everett Griner…