May 18 Frost Was Likely A Big Agricultural Disaster For Vermont/Northeast

The remains of frostbitten ash tree leaves in
Huntington, Vermont on May 21. A freeze three
days earlier caused a Vermont agricultural disaster.

It's becoming clear that last week's record setting freeze in Vermont severely damaged the state's apple, blueberry and other fruit crops, and hit vineyards hard, too.  

Though it can take days or even weeks after a big freeze to figure out damage to crops from apples to grapes to blueberries, the grim news is becoming apparent. 

As Vermont Public reports, quoting Terence Bradshaw, associate professor at the UVM Extension Fruit Program: 

"'In my 25 years of working with fruit crops in Vermont, I have never seen frost or freeze damage this extensive," Bradshaw said in a press release the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets sent out Tuesday. 'We expect a difficult season for growers and appreciate the continued support that our community provided to these vital operations that are so important to the Vermont agriculture community."

I smell a disaster declaration coming for Vermont and surrounding areas because of the freeze.  Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts is urging farmers to keep track of their losses to help with possible federal aid. 

If the freeze prompts a federal disaster declaration, that would be the second weather event within five months to put parts of the Green Mountain State under such a designation. 

The storm that swept through much of the nation, including Vermont on December 22-24, 2022 prompted the disaster declaration for eight Vermont counties. 

The freeze last week was a sort of "perfect storm".  A very warm spring prompted a wide variety of fruit trees and plants to bloom earlier in the season than most people can remember.

The leaves on this ash tree in Huntington, Vermont were
black and shriveled three days after a devastating
May 18 frost in Vermont and the Northeast.

Then, a quick hitting blast of frigid air, lasting less than two days, crashed southward into New England, causing record low temperatures on May 18.  Virtually all of Vermont except areas very close to the Lake Champlain shore fell far below freezing. There were some reports of temperatures getting into the upper teens, with many reports of readings under 25 degrees.  

Temperatures of about 29 degrees or lower while fruits and vegetables are in bloom or starting to set pretty much guarantees damage. The further it goes below 29, the worse it gets. 

As Vermont Public reports, Tebbetts visited Shelburne Vineyard, among other farms, and saw extensively damaged grape vines. Owners of the vineyard don't know yet whether the vines are so damaged that they might not ever recover for future years. 

Tebbetts said he is worried about a range of crops that could have terrible damage. "The losses caused by the late spring frost is heartbreaking of those who produce fruits, produce, berries and wine," Tebbetts said in a press release issued by his department. "The hard freeze will mean significant losses for our growers and those who make their living off fruits and vegetables. The extent of the damage may  not be known for several weeks, but early indications are discouraging."

Green Mountain Orchard in Putney suffered what they call "catastrophic" damage to their apple crop.  Blueberries are also damaged, However, some blooms on the blueberry bushes looked at least partly intact and bees were working over them after the frost, so there is some hope 

It's been a tough year.  Peach trees can't handle super cold weather in the winter. In early February, it got  down to 18 below in Putney, ruining any prospects for a peach crop this year. 

I checked around the social media accounts of several orchards and berry farms around Vermont but none that I found had posts from the day of the freeze or after.  These farmers probably don't know the extent of damage yet, don't want to talk about it, and don't want to mislead their customers with information that might later turn out to be inaccurate. 

I bet that blueberries, strawberries, apples, wine and other Vermont goods will be harder to come by as the year goes on, and be more expensive if you do find these goods. Problems with wine production could last a few years. 

The freeze takes both a financial and emotional toll on farmers. Crop insurance would only cover some of the loss. And nothing solves the worry and despair this kind of thing causes. 

As VTDigger reports:

"On the morning after the frost, growers at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston surveyed the property, orchardist Erin Robinson said sitting beside apple trees that were limp and glistening with ice. 'It is the most brutal feeling to love something os deeply and be so powerless to protect it,' Robinson wrote in an Instagram post. "

 Orchardists try to find optimism.  They note that many of the apples are dead this year, but the trees that supply them are fine and will produce more apples in future years. 

Frost damaged leaves on a magnolia tree in
Williston, Vermont after the May 18 freeze. 

Other crops should be fine. Hay for feed seems unaffected, though a possible developing drought in Vermont could mess things up there. Corn really hasn't been planted yet, so that'll be OK.  

Most plant nurseries and garden centers seemed to have been able to protect their stock. I'm not sure how CSAs are doing, but I have a feeling they'll mostly recover.

As you can see in the video in the bottom of this post, the freeze killed leaves on certain trees, mostly oak, ash, locust and sumac.  In most places around the state, hillsides remain green, despite a few bare and brown patches left by the frost. 

Although the spring freeze might have been severe enough to damage fall foliage prospects in a few locations around Vermont, I'd say 95 percent of the landscape should be fine for tourists. Barring some other unforeseen misfortunate, that is. 

Unfortunately, this Vermont agriculture disaster is consistent with the effects of climate change.  A too-warm spring got buds and fruitlets going too soon.  The climate is also more prone to "weather whiplash" than it once was, so we got a nasty cold spell.

Obviously, I can't draw a direct line between the freeze and climate change, but the circumstantial evidence is there. 

Tonight, another weird late season frost is forecast in Vermont. It won't be as severe as last week's freeze, but it surely has farmers and orchardists wondering how much more than can take. 

VIDEO

Images take around Richmond and Huntington, Vermont three days after the freeze show damage to leaves on trees, mostly oak, ash, locust and sumac.  These trees are expected to sprout replacement leaves and be OK, but some trees that are already stressed might have trouble recovering.

The leaf damage is pretty striking, as you'll see.

Click on this link to watch the video if you don't see the image below, or if you do, click on that to view: