May 14, 2010
WCSH-TV

LIMINGTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Not many people were complaining when we were treated to a stretch of unseasonably warm weather early this spring, but it has come back to bite Maine farmers in the bud.

Plants responded to the warm weather by sprouting early, some blossoming nearly three weeks earlier than normal in some places, but a hard frost across most of the state early this week has hit many fruit crops hard when they were at their most vulnerable.

"This is what the seeds should look like in a viable fruit right now, bright green," said Earl Bunting as he cut open a cluster of small apple blossoms. "The seeds are all shriveled up and turning brown."

Bunting owns Doles Orchards in Limington, and has tended to his acres of apple, strawberries and other fruit crops on the farm for 17 years. When his crops started flowering weeks ahead of schedule, he predicted problems.

"I'm figuring we have half of a strawberry crop right now," stated Bunting as he walked through his fields. "The apples? I don't even want to hazard a guess."

Bunting is not alone. David Handley, a small fruit and vegetable specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, says he has heard from farmers around the state that are reporting similar situations.

"I'm not calling it a disaster yet," declared Handley while inspecting a strawberry field in Cape Elizabeth. "I think there are going to be some people that have smaller yields, but overall, it could have been worse given how low the temperatures were."

Many farmers covered their crops or sprayed water on them in an effort to protect them from the frost. While the steps did help some farmers, not everyone was sparred damage.

"When you start getting down to 26, 27 degrees, even a good watering program, especially if the wind is up, is not going to help you as much as it could," explained Handley. "It got very, very cold, and because we were three weeks ahead of schedule, the flowers were at a very susceptible stage, so we are seeing a lot of injury around the state."

Handley suggests people call ahead to find out when their local farms will be harvesting and pay close attention, because despite the frost, most fruit crops are still ahead of schedule.

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