Cold Snap Pt 1
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. As farmers know all too well, weather is just one of the things they have zero control over. And the recent dose of unseasonably cold weather in mid-to-late April was a perfect example.
Tim Kovis, with the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, says it was a bit of a mixed bag, so growers may not know the extent of the damage for a few weeks …
KOVIS … “However, we do know that we’re going to have potential cold and frost damage, and freeze damage, in areas in Central Washington for apples, pears and cherries, but the full effect won’t be known for a few more weeks.”
One of the potential problems, Kovis says was with the bees …
KOVIS … “Because the weather event also coincided with areas that needed to do pollination. And when we were in the low 40s as a daily high the bees weren’t out working.”
So, now we wait? …
KOVIS … “Yeah, the question becomes, you know, based off of where your orchards are and how far along were you in budding and bloom.”
Kovis says location could be key …
KOVIS … “Yeah, exactly, you know, as the southern region was much further along, Mattawa, Tri-Cities, the lower Yakima Valley versus, you know, up and to Wenatchee, the Okanogan’s, so some growers were more effected than others.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on our cool spring weather and how growers are responding.
