Pee Dee farmer worries about mild winter's impact on peaches

MCBEE- An unseasonably mild winter may be welcome for many folks, but for peach farmers, it could spell potentially devastating news.

High temperatures throughout December and January have many farmers concerned that Mother Nature could play some tricks on crops, particularly those plants that need a cold, dormant cycle to fully produce in the spring.

Kemp McLeod, owner of McLeod Farms in McBee, said this winter season has been one of the warmest he has seen throughout his generations of cultivating peaches.

"This year definitely with the temperatures being more spring-like in the winter time, has stressed this crop and we've seen some bud movement on some early varieties" McLeod said of his peach trees.

"We've seen some blooms come out in late February, but really, it's only early February so, I've really just never seen it this warm for this long," he said.

McLeod said that he has already noticed buds beginning the early stages of blossoming on about 10 percent of his total crop, and said if the warm weather continues, he could see more bud movement on a larger percentage of his peach trees.

He said that the trees are essentially being pushed from infancy into adulthood, without going through a necessary adolescent stage that would enable them to undergo the proper fertilization and blooming process.

"We're really in unchartered territories with this many heat units. I think if you look at cold hours we might be on the edge of being satisfied," McLeod said.

"Heat units are sort of just how many hot days we had and that subtracts off of the cold hours, so the plant really doesn't know what to do or how to do," he said.

McLeod said that if a large amount of the peach trees begin to bud and are later impacted by a freeze at the end of the winter season or in the early spring, the cold snap could potentially hurt or even kill many of the plants.

The unusual weather patterns could mean either a large loss when it comes to supply, or could mean that the quality of peaches across the state could be impacted negatively.

McLeod said though he has been through similar situations in the past, he said the mildness of this winter definitely has him and other farmers concerned about the welfare of their crops.

He said the most farmers can do is take any preventive measures ahead of potential frost or freezes, and hope for the best in terms of colder days on the horizon.

"We are hoping for a below normal February, we're hoping that things will average back cold and I think that will go a long way in maybe having an average crop," McLeod said.

"If we have an above average February, like January and December, we're going to have some serious problems with this crop. Mother Nature can be cruel to us sometimes and that's the way it happens ... but we're hoping and keeping our fingers and toes crossed for a cold February and a cold March," he said.

News13 Meteorologist Martha Spencer said the area is seeing what’s called a Positive North Atlantic Oscillation.

"We’re in a La Nina weather pattern right now. Basically that translates to colder Pacific water temps and mild, dryer southeast weather," Spencer said.

She said a late season freeze is not out of the question for this area and said though we have seen an extended period of milder weather this winter, there have been unseasonable winters in recent years as well.