Michigan-area fruit farmers are worried that recent unseasonable weather could impact this year’s harvests. Of most concern are the region’s many apple trees, which are at risk of budding too early to survive, reported WLNS 6 .
What’s happening?
Michigan farmers say recent warm weather could trick fruit crops into starting to bud too early. This is especially troubling for apple orchards, which cover approximately 38,000 acres in the region.
“It could be very devastating if they’ve started to begin blooming,” apple farmer Jim Flore told WLNS 6 . “As soon as the bud starts to come out, it doesn’t have that protective shield of the covering around the bud, so then it becomes very vulnerable.”
According to the Michigan Ag Council , apples are “one of the largest and most valuable fruit crops in Michigan.” Normally, apple trees bud in late April or early May. But when unseasonably warm weather hits, these trees may bud early. If that warm weather is followed by a late frost, those buds can become severely damaged and die…