A Creston orchard鈥檚 soft fruit supply has been completely wiped out by record-breaking winter weather that settled in the area a few weeks ago.
The Creston Valleyfrom Jan. 12 to 14, when a cold weather system touched down in area and caused thermometers to plummet as low as -27.2 degrees Celsius.
Frank Wloka at Wloka Farms said his soft fruit trees have suffered 100 per cent bud mortality from this weather event, including peaches, apricots, prunes, plums, nectarines and cherries. He confirmed the data with an agronomist on Jan. 29.
鈥淭he damage is extraordinarily significant,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have experienced crop losses in the past, but not as extensive as we have experienced this go-around.鈥�
He said his farm will have no soft fruit to sell this year, which will ultimately have heavy financial repercussions.
鈥淲e know we鈥檙e going to be in a substantial red ink situation for this year. That鈥檚 a given. We have to manage what we can to reduce the cost structure in a way so that we are basically able to carry forward into next year,鈥� he said.
The farm will still have vegetables and some apples, but Wloka said these crops are not as lucrative because they don鈥檛 draw as many visitors to Creston Valley.
鈥淭he problem with not having soft fruit for our operation, is that it鈥檚 still very much the drawing card for the tourism that comes into this area,鈥� he said.
Wloka is not the only local businesses that has been impacted by the winter storm.
on its grape plants last week and owner R茅mi Cardinal said he isn鈥檛 expecting much fruit at all this year.
Martha Flamenco at Flamenco Farms said that while she hasn鈥檛 completed a full bud assessment yet, she expects the crop to be light, particularly cherries and peaches. She said she鈥檇 have further data by the end of the month.
Wloka worked with an agronomist from Pearl Agricultural Consulting Inc. to determine the extent of the damage. He gathered tree samples and placed them in water for 48 hours at room temperature, and then cut into them so the agronomist could examine the tissue underneath the tree buds.
The buds were dead and brown as expected, but they also found some damage in the branches. Wloka said this could indicate that the whole tree might be at risk of dying, which is a worse outcome than a tree simply not producing fruit for a season.
鈥淲e are seeing browning in the cambium layer and that鈥檚 not a good sign at all. There could be tree mortality. If not the full tree, it鈥檚 probably going to be limb mortality. I also think that some of the really small trees that were planted over the last year or two are at high risk of loss as well.鈥�
Wloka said that while it isn鈥檛 uncommon for orchardists to lose trees in winter, damage was worse this year due to a stretch of mild weather that led up to the cold spell. Spring-like temperatures caused the trees to bud prematurely, which lowered their tolerance for cold and caused them to freeze when temperatures plunged below zero.
鈥淚f the buds had been dormant, we would have had a reduced crop but we likely would not have had 100 per cent bud kill,鈥� he explained.
Wloka said fluctuating weather patterns, which are becoming more frequent, leave him uncertain for the future.
鈥淚s it a 100 year event? Is it something we鈥檙e going to be faced with more going forward as climate change puts its grip on us?鈥�
鈥淚t could repeat itself,鈥� he added.
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