REGION — Many apple producers are predicting smaller than normal crops this year due to the weather this spring.

Producers throughout the Northeast experienced a late freeze and a recent online article from an NBC affiliate noted orchards are still assessing the damages. It also noted, “Some states are seeking federal disaster declarations, which would make low-interest loans and other programs available to affected growers, while agriculture officials across the region are contemplating together asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture for direct aid to farmers.”

The Livermore Falls Advertiser reached out to the five closest local orchards listed on the Maine Pomological Society’s orchard list. Two other orchards were listed but had no contact information.

On Thursday, June 15, Richard Murphy of Lane Road Orchard in New Sharon said the late frost on May 18 thinned his crop out pretty good, did have an effect. June drop [when some fruit naturally drops so each remaining apple will get more food and grow larger] hasn’t happened yet, he stated.

“I am not sure if the frost killed enough fruit to cause the crop to be extinct,” he noted. “I won’t have to do as much thinning [chemically or mechanically removing more fruit so there are fewer apples per tree, resulting in larger fruit]. I know a fellow in Bethel who lost his whole crop. I hope I am not that bad.”

Some of his varieties are resistant to scab, an apple disease that does well in wet weather, and the heirloom varieties aren’t showing signs of the disease yet, he noted.

“I do spray for scab,” he stated. “A lot can still happen before apples are ready to pick.”

Thursday, June 15, Tony Leavitt with Hazel Hill Orchard in Turner said some of his blossoms were killed in May. They turned brown early or curled, he stated.

“The crop might be lighter than usual, it’s hard to tell until after June drop,” Leavitt noted. “I hope it didn’t affect the crop too much.”

He doesn’t think the rainy weather is having a big impact. “We could certainly use some sun to get the trees invigorated again,” he added.

Boothby’s Orchard and Farm Winery in Livermore did have some impact from the cold temperature May 18, Rob Boothby also said Thursday, adding, the amount differed depending on variety and elevation of trees in the orchard. “The crop looks to be off by maybe 50%, we’ll see what the June drop looks like.”

The wet days on end are making it hard to plan, Boothby noted. He is still trying to get his pumpkins planted, the corn is not looking good, he stated. He hopes for a decent grape crop, it looks OK now. David Handley, small fruit specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension told Boothby they might look fine now but will show damage later.

“We need heat, I am ready for the drought,” Boothby said. “It’s all in God’s hands.”

Boothby’s farmstand was opening the week of June 18, he added.

“We were hit by the May freeze,” Jeff Timberlake with Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner said Friday morning, June16. He said his brother, Harry Ricker and his son, Sam have been out assessing the damage. “Some varieties were hit harder than others,” he added.

“We got a combination,” Harry said in a conversation later that morning. “We lost some fruit from the freeze. Some fruit has frost rings or russeting, slightly harder patches of brown on the skin of the fruit, on it caused by the freeze damage.”

Weather conditions were not normal that night, because of the wind, Harry noted. Usually it’s the lower, colder spots that are hit but trees in higher spots were also affected, he stated. “It was very irregular because of the wind,” he said.

It is hard to assess, but Harry expects “the crop will be very small compared to most years. We are geared up to grow more than we need for our sales accounts. This year we will sell all to our best accounts.”

Harry said the orchard does have crop insurance, which will help, and some good accounts.

Ricker Hill Orchards also grows cranberries and highbush blueberries.

Harry said most of the cranberries were kept flooded later than normal because of the predicted weather. A few places that weren’t completely covered did see some damage, overall they look really decent, he noted.

While Harry didn’t give any blueberry damage estimates, he did say they have been growing more than they sell and should have blueberries if anyone is looking for them.

“I am an optimist, I am hoping for the best,” he added.

Morrison Hill Orchard in Farmington had Renae Moran, extension’s tree fruit specialist visit the orchard, Jodi Hollingsworth said Friday, June 16. “She didn’t find any affects from the frost,” she stated. “We were the first orchard she has seen without any. It was pretty bad for some orchards.”

The wet weather is making it difficult to get in the orchard and do needed work, is ideal for breeding disease, Hollingsworth noted. “We are affected by that.

“Overall, things look pretty good for us.”

Later that morning, Moran said she had visited a lot of orchards, found conditions similar to what Hollingsworth said. “Their orchard was one of only a few that were virtually untouched,” she stated. “One in western Maine, in Bethel saw 100% loss, at Ricker’s it was variable. Farther south, it was fairly even, I am seeing 50% to 90% damage.

“Tree elevation and what stage of bloom the blossoms were in were factors in where damage occurred.”

Moran noted there is also damage to surviving fruit, she is seeing a lot of frost rings on apples at Extension’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth.

Most growers have been able to spray between the rain, lessening the potential for scab, Moran said. MacIntosh apples are susceptible to scab, a lot of growers have switched to other varieties because of that, she noted.

“I am seeing some fire blight, another apple disease,” Moran stated. “Macs don’t get fire blight as much.”

There is a lot of late bloom still found on apple trees, some blossoms on trees are still susceptible, Moran noted. More fire blight might be seen around July 4th, she added.

“Our apple crop load looks good, though we are still unsure of the quality of the fruit this year,” Joel Gilbert with Berry Fruit Farm in Livermore wrote in an email Saturday, June 17. “Until the fruit has matured later in the summer we won’t truly know the impact of the May 18th freeze. The long rain events this spring have helped establish newly planted trees but has increased the potential for apple scab infection on existing apple trees and their crop. This is a situation we continue to monitor with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.”

Gilbert said the peach crop was lost in February from extremely cold temperatures. “These temperatures froze the fruit buds but did not kill the trees, thank God!” he wrote. “Still, we will not have a peach crop this year and that is heart breaking. We don’t give up and this spring we planted another couple acres to peaches, “Because there is nothing quite like a tree ripened peach from Livermore!””

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