Two weeks has now gone by now since Florida experienced a record duration of freezing temperatures. As warmer temperatures return, the results of a full week at or below freezing temperatures make themselves obvious to our local farms.
The losses, as reported by some sources, is between 1/3 and 1/2 of all winter Florida crops. Some of the crops made out better than expected and others, it becomes obvious, are a total loss. As a local food cooperative, Homegrown is committed to helping our producing members quickly and confidently restore their family farms to the vibrant operations they were before the freeze. Thanks for your continued patronage of the Co-op and our local farming community. See the summary below for a preview of what to expect for the next couple of weeks for local produce.
Florida Crop Damage Summary from New Year’s Record Freeze Event:
*Citrus, it appears, has survived much better than expected. The “thick skin” orange and grapefruit crops have some damage and reduced yields but it looks like most of the groves survived. The “thin skin” citrus made up of tangerines and tangelos were badly damaged with total crop failure in many areas.
*Strawberries sustained some immediate losses and a portion of the plants were frozen beyond recovery, but the harvest has already resumed with excellent, sweet berries. Our local strawberry grower, Jordan Farms, has recovered nicely and is harvesting some exceptional fruit at a lower price point.
*Beans were damaged or destroyed in the more northern growing areas , but our Homestead grower looks like he will likely recover shortly with minimal to moderate loss. Yields will be lower for a period of time and some gaps in supply are possible. We expect beans to arrive by the end of this week.
*Zucchini and Yellow Squash for the most part were a complete loss, but a couple small fields survived with low harvest volumes expected. This is likely to last for the next 5-6 weeks.
*Bell Pepper it appears is nearly a total loss. There is extensive damage and many farms have lost the total crop. Expect the price for local Green Bells to remain high. These peppers will be in very short to no supply in the near future.
*Leafy Greens are in the best condition of the Florida crops. They tend to have better cold tolerance. Following a short period to clean up the farms of the damaged plants, the lettuces, kales, and greens have begun to harvest once again. The volume will be down due to some plant losses and some gaps in supply are likely, but the harvest has once again resumed, and Florida lettuce and greens are available. The product quality is simply outstanding.
*Eggplant is badly damaged with many areas experiencing total losses. We have seen small volumes from the warmer farms being harvested at this time.
*Corn from our east coast grower has already begun light harvesting with significantly reduced yields. The long term damage to the crop has yet to be determined. Expect gaps and short supplies.
*Tomatoes appear to be the crop with the most damage. Most, if not all of the local organic tomato crops were severely damaged if not destroyed. Several Florida tomato growers have also found areas on their farms that made it through the freeze and they are picking some great LOCAL fruit. This is true not only for the large slicing tomatoes, but also the romas, grapes and cherry tomatoes.
*Cabbage was damaged slightly and the harvest delayed, but volumes of green cabbage should return to moderate levels shortly. Red cabbage is not currently harvesting at this time.
Please remember, this is an early report, and conditions can change quickly in agriculture.
As the harvests slowly resume, our LOCAL GROWERS are looking for all of our support to keep the farms alive and growing.
As Homegrown Co-op Members, we know they can count on your support.
