Peach growers fear warm winter will hurt crop

Warm winters have been devastating for Georgia’s peach crop in years past — and there are fears that this winter could be another one.

Georgia growers produced less than a quarter of the peaches in 2017 than they did last year due to the warm weather, WABE Radio has reported. Will McGehee, the marketing director for the Georgia Peach Council, called it catastrophic.

Peach trees must go dormant to grow fruit, and they need chilly temperatures for that to happen.

So growers track what are called chill hours — the amount of time when it’s cold enough for peach trees to get their rest.

There were not enough chill hours last winter.

“We got about 500 hours in the Fort Valley area where

most of the peaches are grown, and that proved to be the kiss of death for most varieties,” McGehee said. Last year had about half of a typical year’s chill hours.

McGehee’s family has been growing peaches in Georgia since 1885. His cousin now owns the farm that’s been in the family for five generations.

Now, the state’s peach growers are concerned about the possibility that this winter could be another warm one. That could mean there won’t be enough chill hours this winter, either.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the climate pattern known as La Niña may form. That typically means a drier and warmer winter in Georgia.

“You’re seeing these wild swings from very cold to very warm,” said McGehee. “You’re seeing a lot less of the talk of the word, ‘normal.’ Nobody knows really what the new normal is.”

There is a chance the colder weather that the peach trees need will break through this winter, said Knox. That’s because it’s a weak La Niña, meaning other climate patterns might have a stronger effect.

“If you farm, you’ve got to be optimistic that things will be better than the last year,” said Jeff Wainwright, who farms about 7,500 acres of peaches in Taylor County.

“All you can do at this point is hope the good Lord gives you a good cold winter, and if he doesn’t you have to plan around it,” he said.

AJC FILE Georgia growers produced less than a quarter of the peaches in 2017 than they did last year due to the warm weather. Another warm winter could threaten next year’s peach crop.