SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – After our snow in February and an Arctic cold snap in the middle of the month, many have been looking forward to the growing season across the Ozarks.
However, the cold snap that sent temperatures to about -10 on February 20th meant trouble for the peach crop at Gardener’s Orchard in Brighton. That’s something Andrei Gradinariu, farm manager at Gardener’s, knows all too well.
“If you get down below, you know, 5, negative 7, it’s kind of that borderline between total crop loss versus, you know, 10% or 20% crop,” Gradinariu says. “If you get down to, you know, -10 or -12, it’s a complete crop loss along, you know, with the whole orchard.”
It’s not just Gardener’s in Brighton. While unavailable for comment, Murphy Orchard posted a Facebook update on April 1st that was NOT an April Fools joke. While its apples are nearing full bloom, 90% of its peach crop… gone from that cold February stretch. While Gardnener’s wants to sell as much home grown produce as possible, Gradinariu says the farm will have to bring in peaches this year.
“We do bring in and supplement peaches from other farmers within our region,” Gradinariu says. ” We usually go down south. There’s some good growers down in southeast Missouri. The weather is a little different down there and we buy in from those guys.”
While some orchards, like Gardener’s, may have to bring peaches in from southeastern Missouri to help them through the season, Andrei says their other crops, like the tulips, apples and strawberries, are doing just fine.
“We’re going to have a full crop of apples this year,” Gradinariu says. “There’s been a new disease that attacks the root system of some strawberries this year. It’s an issue a supplier has been dealing with since Hurricanes Helene and Milton came through parts of the US last year. Out of our 5 acres of strawberries we planted, it impacted half. We’re still going to have strawberries to sell to our customers. It’s just that we won’t have an abundance this year.”
Whether it’s homegrown at a great price or brought in for extra money, farmers at Gardener’s says the money will still help them and other growers in the short & long haul.
“I’m a big advocate of going out and going to farmers markets… buying from your local farmer,” Gradinariu says. “It’s the only way to do it. That’s how you keep the local economy moving and that’s how you as a consumer get the best quality product possible.”
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