Jason Londo, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University, agrees. "You don't have to be a scientist to figure out things are different right now," he said. He's hesitant to talk about the causes, like climate change, but he said the seasons are less predictable than they used to be. Hundreds of acres of crops froze during two big cold snaps: first peaches in February, and then apples in May.Ĭhuck Souther said he sees weather conditions changing for his farm and others. The director of the state's Farm Services Agency, Jeffery Holmes, said this year was unprecedented. In New Hampshire, farms at higher elevations fared better than lower elevation farms like the Southers. People come to pick apples every fall at the Southers' farm which is called Apple Hill. NHPR Chuck and Diane Souther planted their apple orchard in 1978. As the atmosphere warms and weather becomes more unpredictable, some farmers are considering big changes, like planting different crops or finding new ways to protect trees from the elements. This year, many of New Hampshire's trees have no fruit because of that freezing night in May.įruit growers like the Southers are watching human-caused climate change shift the seasonal patterns they've counted on for years to produce fruit. But a good harvest depends on things that happened months before. This year, branches reach into the air unburdened by fruit.Īpple picking at places like the Southers' farm, called Apple Hill, is one of the quintessential New England fall traditions. They planted their first trees even before they built their home. The Southers first planted their apple orchard in 1978, right after they bought a neglected piece of land in New Hampshire's capital city. "No seeds, no apples," Chuck Souther said, standing between rows of leafy green trees. Their sap had frozen, expanded, and, in the process, the cells and seeds were destroyed. The Southers cut open baby apples, about the size of a pencil eraser. "The tree was just white with flowers."īy Friday morning, all the petals were turning brown. "We called it a popcorn bloom," Diane Souther said. The Southers' apple orchard was in full bloom, which is normal for mid-May. That Thursday night in Concord, New Hampshire, it was about 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The alarm takes the temperature out in their 30-acre orchard and blares loudly if it dips too low. Chuck and Diane Southers' thermal alarm went off around 10:30 p.m.
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