You might have noticed those peaches at the grocery store are a little more expensive this year. A late freeze in mid-March that had south Georgia in the mid-20s and north Georgia in the teens did a number on some of the state’s most valuable agricultural products. Besides peaches, blueberries were also hit hard.
The declaration from the United States Department of Agriculture allows the department’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend emergency credit and comes after months of lobbying from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Robert Dickey and Russ Goodman, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Georgia Farm Bureau, and the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association.
“I’m grateful to USDA Secretary Vilsack for recognizing the importance of delivering much-needed relief to Georgia farmers following the untimely freezes in March,” said Commissioner Harper. “Since the freeze, we’ve worked with our farmers and producers to ensure USDA clearly understood the severity of the situation and the needs of those impacted by the freeze. Georgia peaches are a symbol of the success of our state’s number one industry, and this much-needed relief will help farmers and producers across the state bounce back better than before.”
The loans from FSA can be used to replace farm equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or – crucially – to refinance loans.
Besides the immediate impact on revenue, the late freeze could spark problems that continue into future seasons. As retailers waiting on the arrival of early season blueberries resort to buying imported ones, that shelf space may not be regained next year. With Georgia as the country’s top blueberry producer, the crop is a major component of the economy and agricultural value. In 2021, the state produced more than 4 million pounds of blueberries with a value of more than $130 million. The next top producers were Oregon, North Carolina and Florida.
The freeze was also a hit for packing facilities, many of which had already purchased materials and made hiring decisions. “Most of the farmers have crop insurance, but they don’t want to farm crop insurance. Big losers are packing facilities. There will be no revenue without fruit going down the processing line. That’s tough,” Georgia Blueberry Commission Chairman Jerome Crosby told the Georgia Farm Bureau.
As for the famous peaches, the concern was mainly around the earlier bloom varieties, with later season peaches coming out largely unscathed. In fact, the later season crops could be quite good this year. “We lost those first ones but we had plenty of blooms that had not opened yet,” said Jaemor Farms owner Drew Echols. “We’re still looking at a phenomenal crop, one of the better crops of fruit that I’ve seen set in a long time. I feel good about it right now, but it’s still early. It’s shaping up to be a good year. It was a scary weekend. It probably took a couple of years off of my life sitting around worrying about it all weekend.”
