One of the problems that farmers all across the country have been dealing with is the early bloom of some crops due to the warm weather. To those not versed in agriculture, this might initially sound like a good thing - warm weather bringing crops to bloom faster and allowing farmers the chance to harvest early. However, due to the fact that temperatures can still drop, this actually represents a dangerous situation for many growers.
This is the case in Michigan, reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek, where cherry farmers were nervous to see their trees start to bud much earlier than expected. Many trees bloomed during a specific week in March, where temperatures were consistently above 60 and even reached above 80 degrees Fahrenheit at certain points.
"That stretch was very comparable what we'd normally see in late June," said Scott Rozanski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, MI.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't last. On March 25th, the temperature dropped back down into the 20s, freezing many cherries at their most vulnerable point - when they're still full of moisture. That spells trouble for the tart cherry crop throughout the state. Michigan produces approximately 180 million pounds of tart cherries per year, which is 80 percent of the total crop in the United States. The food is used in pie fillings and other products.
It will still be several weeks before farmers are able to accurately assess the total damage to their crops, but early indications aren't looking promising. Still, farmers have hope that some parts of the trees survived the cold weather.
"I'm just looking at buds that are at shoulder height, but the trees are 25 feet high, so there's hope for those higher branches," farmer Ben LaCross told the news source. "As for the overall effect, we're still waiting to determine that."
Unfortunately, farmers still have to care for the trees that were frozen to prevent losing them for the next year. Investing in used agricultural equipment through IronPlanet can help farmers keep these costs down, as the equipment offered through auction is frequently cheaper than buying new.
