Georgia peach farmers hoping for colder winter

Georgia peach farmers are hoping for a colder winter.

According to a story by Clint Thompson on the UGA Extension website, http://extension.uga.edu, cooler temperatures are needed to avoid another disastrous peach season.

Jeff Cook is the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension County Coordinator in Taylor and Peach counties.

In the report, Cook says last year’s mild winter contributed to Georgia’s peach industry suffering an 80 percent loss.

Cook estimates 70 percent of those losses were attributed to Georgia’s lack of chill hours. The late freeze this past spring contributed to the other 10 to 15 percent peach loss.

“Chill hours are vital to the development of a peach. We didn’t have enough cold weather last year and it showed once we got to harvest time,” said Cook, who specializes in peaches.

“Chill hours” refers to the time in which temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. From Oct. 1 through Feb. 15, chill hours are required for peach production.

Cook says in Thompson’s report that one Georgia peach variety requires 850 chill hours, the highest chill requirement of all varieties grown in Georgia. When that particular variety only got around 450 chill hours last winter, the result was devastating for Georgia peach farmers. At least 800 hours are needed to make a “decent crop.”

“We had between 650 and 700 chill hours year before last and did okay. Last year we were below 500 and we really need about 800,” Cook said.

The biggest hit to Georgia’s 2017 peach crop was the lack of peaches from July to August, which is typically the largest yielding period. “The packing sheds were shut down the first of July,” Cook said.

Unfortunately for Georgia peach producers, this year’s winter forecast is projecting a warmer winter due to La Nina weather conditions. UGA Extension agricultural climatologist Pam Knox predicts a 70 percent chance of La Nina conditions occurring from November 2017 through January 2018. La Nina is associated with above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, especially in the southern half of Georgia.

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Georgia peach farmers hoping for colder winter."