Department of Agriculture meets with local peach farmers

Peach County, Ga. – There aren’t many things more iconic to the state of Georgia than peaches. Peaches are a constant, especially those from Peach County, Georgia – our license plates, our “I voted” stickers, and even our festivals are associated with Peaches. That’s why it’s so important that the local peach growers are receiving help after a bad coldsnap.

Last Friday, March 31, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper visited Fort Valley and met with local peach growers to assess damages to the local crops. Commissioner Harper met with a group of local peach farmers at Lane’s Southern Orchard to assess the damage from an earlier cold snap. Representatives from Lane’s, Dickey Farms, and others were present at the meeting. 

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After the meeting, Commissioner Harper toured Lane’s with the group to assess the damage. Commissioner Harper committed to the representatives that he would do what he could to help the local peach farmers recover from the damage.

According to USDA Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Matthew Agvent, late cold snaps are always a concern to peach farmers as the freeze can potentially kill peach blossoms. 

“Our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture has been in constant communication with peach growers, UGA Extension, and the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association as we assess the damage to the peach crop caused by late season freezes,” Harper said. “On Friday, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of peach growers in Fort Valley to hear directly from them how the freezing temperatures impacted their crop. While the freeze significantly impacted our early-season peach crop, we remain hopeful for a strong late-season crop, and I’m committed to doing everything in my power to help Georgia’s peach producers recover from the damage.”

Peaches need cold weather to thrive. Once the  temperature drops below 45°F, peach trees will go dormant. While dormant the peaches need anywhere from 650 to 850 hours of cold weather in a season, which are called chill hours. This is a trait that peach trees evolved to help withstand the cold winters in their native China. When peach trees go dormant, they are reserving energy and avoiding unfavorable growing conditions.

Once a peach tree has surpassed the needed chill hours and the temperatures begin to rise, the tree awakens from its dormant state. When the tree has been exposed to enough warm weather, the tree’s flowers will start developing and open – with some starting to produce small fruit. However, the tree needs the temperature to stay above 45°F for it to continue growing. That is why spring cold snaps are a potential hazard to peach trees, it can damage the fruit that has already started growing.