Heat could be very bad for apple crop

A confession: I've always had this dream of having a large apple orchard in the mountains. It would be my ticket to the "Thomas Jefferson School of Gentlemen Farmers" (sans the other accomplishments, mind you). But now may not be the best time to take a stab at it, according to the Hendersonville Times-News.

“This heat has affected fruit, and a lot of growers are putting materials on to reduce sunburning,” said Marvin Owings, interim director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Henderson County office.

... Fred Hoots, owner of Fred Hoots Orchard, who has been growing apples full-time since 1966, said last year's and this year's summers are the worst he can remember with regard to hot and dry conditions.

Hoots just finished picking one of the earliest apple varieties of the year — the tasty, semi-sweet ginger gold — and he's been using a product that holds the fruit firm and prevents it from getting too ripe.

...

Meanwhile, Mark Williams, the county's new agri-business executive director, has been busy in his first month on the job, exploring opportunities for potential new markets for not only apples but other commodities as well, he said.

With the possibility of a couple of new buyers already that Williams has contacted, he's hoping Mother Nature will cooperate.

“The apple crop is looking good,” he said. “We've suffered through some hail storms — there are always those things to contend with, and other challenges that we face — but overall it looks like a good crop, and we're just trying to make it through until we get the apples picked and get them sold. Until that happens, you never know. There's always risk.”

Rain was good news for state's apple crops

North Carolina's apple farmers were sure glad to see all the rain that Tropical Storm Fay dropped on the western part of the state, particularly in Henderson County, the "state's largest apple producer, with 150 growers and more than 6,000 acres of orchards," said the AP.

"An extension agent said farmers are concerned about the path of Tropical Storm Hanna, which is expected to cross North Carolina later in the week. ...

"Another state agriculture specialist said the rain could allow a second cutting of hay so cattle farmers will have more winter feed for their herds.

"Bill Yarborough, a state agriculture agronomist, said the benefit to crops and cattle from the rain could top $1 million.

" 'A lot of hay they were having to use was the hay they had put up early to feed animals through the winter,' Yarborough said. 'And groundwater reserves are still low. This is taking some of the pressure off, but we're still not out of the woods by any stretch.'"

Hendersonville held its annual Apple Festival last week, as well. Click here for coverage of that.

Quick hits: Some good news for Loggerheads ... not so much for N.C. apples

Loggerheads nesting in bigger numbers

"Nearly two hours before dawn Wednesday, the beaches on Hilton Head Island are empty," writes Hilton Head Island Packet.

"The only sounds are of sloshing waves and the low hum of two all-terrain vehicles whose riders scan the 12 miles of beach for loggerhead hatchlings.

"This is a banner nesting year on Hilton Head, where 199 nests have been discovered. It is the second largest nesting season since 1985 – the year the local Sea Turtle Protection Project began.

"Loggerheads are setting records statewide and they're laying eggs in large numbers in North Carolina as well. Across South Carolina, more than 3,000 nests have been found and numbers are up in Georgia and Florida. But those numbers don't guarantee the species' continued survival.

"Despite strong nesting, biologists warn the population of these rare turtles, which can weigh up to 300 pounds and live to be 100 years old, is still at risk. ..."

Drought shrinks apple size

"The Henderson County apple crop could take a serious hit from the drought, with some growers estimating apple size will be down considerably," says the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"Apple processors and grocers want apples that are at least 2.5 inches in diameter, and growers usually have little trouble meeting that threshold. But the lack of rainfall this year has resulted in much smaller fruit in the county’s 6,146 acres of orchards.

" 'This year you’re probably looking at 70-80 percent of them that are going to be that size — at least 2 1/2 inches,' said Adam Pryor, president of the Blue Ridge Apple Growers Association. Pryor’s family grows 100 acres of apples in Henderson County’s Edneyville community.

" 'If we get a little bit of water in the next week or so, that could change. There’s still time for them to put some size on,' Pryor said.

"Marvin Owings, an extension agent and apple specialist with the Henderson County office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, said the extent of the small-sized crop will depend on how much growers thinned out their trees this spring. The more apples they thinned, the larger the remaining fruit. ..."

(Loggerhead turtle baby photo from Wikipedia)