MEDINA, NY (WKBW) — While there’s no doubt we are enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures across Western New York, apple growers are concerned about the future of their crop.
"When we're talking about what does this mean for our harvest, it does make us really nervous,” reflected Katie Oakes, U-Pick manager, LynOaken Farms.
“It's very nerve-racking for us as apple growers because we can't control the weather,” replied Christopher Oakes, president & farm manager, LynOaken Farms.
Katie and Christopher Oakes of LynOaken Farms in Medina tell me they are very worried about the future of their apple crop that you like to pick each fall.
“This is a huge part of our business and if there's no apples, I mean, it's there's -- no fun in the fall for people to come pick apples if there's none on the tree,” Christopher Oakes explained.
What's happening is the warm temperatures are causing some of these apple trees to begin sprouting green leaves and it's much too early for that to happen.
“I saw a little bit of green tissue peeking out on some varieties, which is about four weeks earlier than normal,” noted Christopher Oakes.
“What that does is it stimulates the bottom growth and the leaf growth and all of those really vulnerable plant tissues. so, it's great if we were to stay 70 degrees until you know May in June, but that's not likely to happen. So as soon as we get temperatures dropping again into the 20s, we can really risk harming all those buds and really delicate tissue,” Katie Oaks described.
The apple growers tell me the last that this happened in 2012, it was so warm they lost 70 percent of their apples.
The apple growers showed me that just one of the tree buds contains up to five flower blooms that would grow into five apples and that's just from one of these small buds.
“This warm weather can really push the tree to grow before it normally would in a typical year,” Katie Oakes noted.
“If it gets back hold again and stays cold for a while, I think we should be okay. But we can't predict the future, so it makes us a little nervous,” remarked Christopher Oakes.
For now, this couple might be the only ones hoping for colder weather to prevent premature growth.
“As the climate continues to get warm and weather patterns are more erratic. It's just it makes farming a much riskier business,” Christopher Oakes replied.
