WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Fruit growers around the region are looking for a rebound this summer following the hard frost that wiped out their crops exactly one year ago.
The killing frost May 17-18 destroyed fruit blossoms and damaged vines throughout the state, eventually earning a disaster designation by the USDA. Some fruit growers in the Upper Valley told WCAX News they expected to lose 95% of their crops.
“We haven’t had an apple failure more than twice in over 50 years, so when it does happen, it hurts,” said Kim Antonioli with Adam’s Apple Orchard in Williston.
Antonioli grew up listening to bees and playing under these apple trees. She says last year’s frost decimated their entire harvest and is still frozen in her memory. “It was very stressful, it was a significant financial hit,” she said.
“Last year, we saw about, across the industry about a $10 million loss in that one day,” said Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbet, who toured the damage after temperatures tied or broke record lows.
Now, exactly one year later, blossoms cover the Williston orchard’s trees more than Antonioli ever recalls. “There was no apple growth, so it was stored, and it was stored into next year’s buds,” she said.
As the petals fall to make space for the fruit, the farm is bustling with visitors enjoying a day much different than last year. But Antonioli remains weather-weary. “Every season is going to be different. It’s showing a beautiful crop at this point, but we don’t count all the apples until they’re harvested,” she said.
The region has faced drought, freeze, wildfire, and floods in 2023, and many farmers are holding out hope for a better season. Tebbetts says a task force he formed to address losses after adverse weather is hoping for changes from Washington. “Federal insurance programs do not seem to be friendly to Vermont on the size and scale that we have. So, I think that’s something we’re looking at through USDA and Congress,” he said.
Part of those changes could come from the Farm Bill, which was recently unveiled in the U.S. Senate. Senator Peter Welch says it will improve the quality of life for families in Vermont and across the country.
