MANSFIELD, OHIO: Ohio fruit growers are holding onto hope that this snowy, often brutally cold winter hasn’t ruined all of their crops.
The president of the Ohio Fruit Growers Marketing Association, Bill Dodd, tells the Mansfield News Journal that growers are sure there’s been damage and can only wait for spring to determine the extent of it.
Growers used microscopes to analyze sample cuttings from their crops at a meeting last week, and very few of the plants appeared to still be alive.
Dave Riedel of Galion says farmers must wait to see whether the deep freezes have zapped just the crops or the plants themselves.
The effects may vary by fruit. Dodd says apple trees, for example, tend to be more resilient in the cold, while peaches are more sensitive.