Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 12, 1994 TAG: 9403120147
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Folks who can't think of summer without craving a juicy Virginia peach can remember the lousy weather every time they go to the fruit stand.
The severe cold may have destroyed half the state's peach crop, which will likely drive the fuzzy fruit's prices up, said an extension specialist with Virginia Tech.
"Locally grown peaches sold at roadside markets will probably be more expensive than in the past," Richard Marini said.
The fruit expert said it was the subzero temperatures - not the icy conditions - that caused the most serious crop damage since 1985.
In a good year, 500,000 to 580,000 bushels of peaches are harvested, but Marini expects no more than 250,000 this year.
"That's just a guess; we'll just have to wait and see," he said. "I definitely think it was worse west of the Blue Ridge Mountains."
Most of the severe crop damage happened in Frederick County, where most of Virginia's $3.4 million peach crop is grown.
"It was as cold as I remember," said Henry Brumback, whose farm near Winchester experienced temperatures as low as 22 degrees below zero. "The peach buds can only stand so much."
Closer to Roanoke, peach-crop predictions were mixed. Several farmers say they expect to harvest a normal crop, while others weren't as lucky.
Jimmy Layman, who runs Layman Brothers Orchards in Botetourt County, said he just hopes to harvest enough peaches to keep the family fruit stand open this summer.
"I know we've been hurt; I just don't know how bad," he said. "It looks like we got a lot of buds killed."
Several times last month, Layman sliced open peach buds, looking for the best sign of life: a green pistil.
A lot, though, were "a brownish, dead color," he said. "It looks like we got a lot of kill."
But Walter Gross, who grows 35 acres of peach trees in Bedford County, said few of his buds were killed during the January cold stretch.
"Our crop seems to be in pretty good shape," he said. "But we've still got the spring frost to go, so you never know."
J.P. Via, a Patrick County grower, said his trees also survived the winter relatively unscathed.
"I still think we've got a pretty fair crop," he said.
There are about 150 peach producers in the state, with orchards ranging from a few acres to several hundred. Most of the growers consider peaches a supplementary crop, with almost all of them also growing apples.
Virginia's $42 million apple crop is much less sensitive to the cold and probably won't be affected by the poor weather, Marini said.
The extension specialist said peach prices shouldn't rise too much in grocery stores, because growers in California and South Carolina are expecting bumper crops this year.
"Those states really control the prices," he said. "Most supermarket chains don't carry Virginia peaches, anyway."
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
by CNB