Spring freeze hits fall apple-picking season
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Apple-picking season could look a little different this year. Photo: Douglas Graham/Roll Call
Fall apple-picking season is here, but one of the most destructive freezes in generations has left some local orchards with battered crops and fewer apples to pick.
Why it matters: Pittsburgh-area farms that rely on fall agritourism for a chunk of their yearly revenue are heading into this season with lighter crops, forcing some to cancel apple picking and others to lean harder on hayrides, U-pick flowers and other autumn staples.
The big picture: An unseasonably warm April triggered early blooms and fruit development. Hard freezes later in the month damaged those crops and left fruit growers across Pennsylvania with partial to total losses — driving up some fruit prices.
Zoom in: Norman's Orchard in Tarentum canceled its pick-your-own apples this year after losing most of its crop. The farm also lost its entire pear and cherry crops, and grapes came in at about half a normal harvest.
- Half Crown Hill Orchard in McDonald is closed for the season after the freeze killed its entire apple crop.
- Simmons Farm in McMurray and Soergel Orchards in Wexford lost peaches and cherries and also took hits to their apple crops. Both are still offering pick-your-own apples, but availability and variety will be more limited this season.
- The apples that did grow might look a little different.
One silver lining: Many farms grow a mix of crops to limit losses when natural disaster strikes.
Zoom out: Apples are king in Pennsylvania, the nation's fourth-largest apple producer.
- The multibillion-dollar industry is centered in what's known as the Adams County Fruit Belt, a fertile region near Gettysburg that has 20,000 of the state's 31,000 fruit-producing acres.
The latest: In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a disaster declaration that impacted 17 big fruit-growing counties out east, providing farmers access to interest-free loans and other programs intended to help with recovery efforts.
- In August, the Shapiro administration announced $10 million in grants for those affected by the freeze, though farmers say individual awards will likely be small once it's all divided up.
The bottom line: Now more than ever, farmers are asking visitors for patience — and support through fall festivals and other events all year round.