News events that affect your Middle Tennessee landscape
"Once in 50 year" freeze killed many Tennessee crops
Effects from freeze will linger into summer
By Joe Edwards, Associated Press Writer
Sunday, 05/27/07
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Phyllis Gilliam of Williamson County thought she was going to have a splendid strawberry crop on her 43 acres.
March had been unseasonably warm. April arrived with promise, but then it froze for about five straight nights.
And if that wasn't bad enough, snow followed.
"We lost three-fourths of 'em," Gilliam lamented.
It's been a disheartening spring for Tennessee growers and the effects will linger into summer. The sudden cold snap wiped out many fruit crops and hurt the state's corn and wheat.
"Overall it's a big loss," said Dan Strasser, chief of marketing for the state Department of Agriculture.
However, heading into the summer growing season, Tennesseans can still expect plenty of sweet corn. And some strawberries survived.
The culprit was an unexpected burst of freezing temperatures right around Easter weekend April 8, following a moderate March. Some farmers reported their thermometers registered in the teens.
"This was a once in 50-year event," said Steve Bost, extension plant pathologist in Nashville with the University of Tennessee. "It's not unusual to get a frost in April, but the freeze and length of it were very damaging."
Peaches, apples and grapes were a near total loss.
"Some farmers won't have any at all," said Strasser, of Nashville. "The moral of the story is savor any fresh fruit you can find."
Young corn was damaged in the stalk and died, requiring replanting. But much of the sweet corn had yet to be planted, so it should still be available for summer.
"I think we're OK there," Bost said.
Corn receipts are $150.5 million annually in Tennessee, 6 percent of the total for agriculture commodities.
Wheat was devastated, but farmers salvaged some of it for hay.
Strawberries fared better than most fruits. So strawberry ice cream sundaes and shortcake should be available.
"We lost the ones ready to be picked, but later varieties came back strong," Strasser said.
Growers covered them, and used sprinklers to form an ice barrier on the cover to keep them warmer.
"It's a real testament to the know-how and the determination of these growers that they were able to salvage their plants and get a crop out under those weather conditions," Strasser said.
Gilliam, who's lived on her farm for 24 years, felt sorry for customers who showed up last week to pick strawberries on her land.
Copyright© The Tennessean, 2007