Spring freeze wipes out apples at South Jersey farms; owners shift fall plans

The useful part

A spring freeze has caused many apple trees to be fruitless this September, causing South Jersey farms to look for other ways to make money to survive. A spring freeze wiped out most of the apple crops at several South Jersey farms, leaving farmers to find new ways to keep their fall traditions and small businesses alive. By mid-September, trees that would typically be filled with apples had little to offer customers looking for a pick-your-own experience.

How it works

• WATCH HERE "We are a pick your own farm so most people come to pick and if there's nothing to pick we don't have as many customers," Patti Mood of Mood's Farm Market said.
• After calling around in search of apple picking and coming up short, they headed to Mood's Farm and filled buckets with grapes instead.
• Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford is dealing with a similar situation after losing almost all of its apples.
• We can either sit here and feel bad for ourselves or we can figure out how to still provide our customers with this awesome fall experience," Gilbert Johnson of Johnson's Corner Farm said.
• NBC10's Andrew Rowan explains how farmers are dealing with it while still finding ways to uphold fall traditions.

What to take from it

"Mother nature is our business partner so we are always used to bobbing and weaving," Johnson said. For the first time, the farm is also selling plants and hay bale decorations in hopes of bringing in additional revenue. Those efforts come with additional costs during what has been a difficult fall for farmers.

Example or evidence

• An unusual spring freeze as well as rising gas prices are having an impact on local farms ahead of Autumn.
• AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication." This article tagged under:

Details worth keeping

At Mood's Farm in Mullica Hill, about 90% of the apple crop was lost. Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10. For customers like Daisy Mimay and her family, that meant changing plans.

Related coverage

• Spectrumlocalnews: Trees full of apples are a welcome sight to the owner of Sweet Acres Orchard.
• Northernvirginiamag: Apple and peach crops were hit particularly hard this year. Read More
• Nbcphiladelphia: NJ storm cleanup continues after trees damage homes NBC10 Philadelphia
• Oxfordmail: Bicester's annual Apple Day could be affected by a poor harvest after one of the hottest and driest summers on record, organisers have warned.