From a distance everything looks normal. Neatly lined up peach trees, green leaves swaying in the wind, near a pretty little American farmhouse. But the producer, Stuart Gregg, has searched the branches in vain, unable to find a single fruit. “We don’t have a harvest this year,” he sighs.
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His prized peaches, like those of most other Georgia farmers, were depleted. Extremely unusual for this southern state so closely associated with this production that it has been nicknamed the “Peach State”.
The winter was unusually mild, allowing the peach blossoms to bloom early in the season. However, temperatures dropped below freezing in March, far too cold for the sensitive buds.
“When we went to see it, we opened a peach blossom, dead, and another peach blossom, dead,” recalls Stuart Gregg, 29. “It’s horrible to see.”
Photo: AFP
Three days of frost were enough to destroy an entire crop. Only a handful of fallen pits remain of the approximately 28 acres worked by Gregg Farms, a small family farm in Concord.
“I haven’t experienced that in 20 years and a “six-figure” shortfall,” complains the young man with the brown strand of hair on his forehead.
That summer, the family reluctantly decided not to open the doors of their farm to customers who usually come to pick peaches or eat ice cream. At the entrance, a large red sign invites you to come back “in 2024”.
90% loss
Around 90% of the state’s crops have been lost this year, say experts, who warn this will become increasingly common with climate change driving budding.
Eventually, some old-growth peach cultivars that need a cold winter “will not be able to grow in Georgia at all,” says Pam Knox, an agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia.
This juicy and sweet fruit is nevertheless an institution in the state. “Nothing beats a Georgia peach,” says Stuart Gregg proudly.
On license plates, which are not absent from restaurant menus, fishing is everywhere – except this time in trees.
To help local producers adapt, Dario Chavez, a horticulture professor specializing in fisheries, is developing new hybrid varieties that favor milder winters.
Photo: AFP
“We’re matchmakers,” says the curly-haired man, who appropriately lives in Peachtree City. For example, thanks to the University of Georgia laboratory and orchard, he can cross species selected for their delicious taste, good yield or their adaptation to warmer climates.
Dario Chavez, 39, works with farmers who “are not afraid of change,” he said. But the process is long. “It could be 15 years before what we’re doing today sees the light of day,” he explains, hat on his head in the midst of his peach trees.
Some farmers are now also growing fruits that were previously only grown further south, such as citrus fruits.
“Over time, as Georgia gets warmer, they’ll try other types, like grapefruit or even some oranges,” notes Pam Knox.
Blueberries in danger
But the climate is not just a threat to fisheries. Blueberries, which are very important in Georgia, are also suffering.
Stuart Gregg and his family, who grow them next to their peach trees, have lost around 75% of their small production this year. “We’ve always had a lot of blueberries, but not really for two or three years,” he complains, running his hand over the few small purple balls that are still hanging on the bushes.
The young man, whose grandparents founded the farm in the 1970s, prefers not to comment on the reasons why the 2023 season was disastrous.
“We’re not really scientists,” he says. “I can’t really worry about climate change, whether it’s going to happen or not. You do what you can.
If a more resilient fruit develops, he would like to try growing it. Meanwhile, Stuart Gregg thinks of next summer, already full of ripe peaches and delighted customers, and the smile returns to his lips.
Bad harvests are part of life on a farm, he recalls. “You know, gambling and farming aren’t that different. Every year it’s like a game of dice.”