ATLANTA — Federal officials have told peach growers in Georgia they will issue a disaster designation for this year’s peach crop. The state lost over 85% of its peaches this spring.
At the state Farmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia peaches are almost as scarce as Halloween pumpkins and Christmas trees, at a time when they are typically plentiful.
When you do find them, prices are high. One vendor offered Georgia peaches at one dollar per peach.
At Dickey Farms west of Macon, owner Robert Dickey said he hired employees to harvest what looked to be a bumper crop in early March. But now, the employees are looking for work to do on his Crawford Co. orchard.
"Instead of picking three or four hundred bins of peaches we’re picking ten and twelve. It’s been a struggle," said Dickey, who is also a Republican state representative. His family lives on a peach farm started in 1897 by his great-grandfather.
Dickey also said one 10-hour below-freezing snap in late March snuffed out all but 10% of his peaches.
"The shortage is as short as I can remember," he added "We had one weather event in late March. We had a hard freeze that morning. It just devastated the peaches all over the southeast at that point."
Dickey’s farm will qualify for disaster relief, though he said the details of that relief remain unwritten. Low-interest loans and other assistance are typical.
State agriculture commissioner Tyler Harper said a disaster declaration will help, but growers will also use their experience to get through it.
"It's been pretty tough on our peach industry here in Georgia. But farmers are resilient. Our agriculture industry is resilient," Harper said.
He added that the disaster designation would help hold over peach growers until they can harvest again next year – hopefully without this spring’s damaging weather.