How apple farmers are thinking about climate change this fall

Massachusetts apple growers are having a stellar season.

"Farmers like to complain for a living, but we haven't had as much to complain about," said Al Rose, co-owner of Red Apple Farm in Phillipston.

Despite a dry September and occasional bouts of heavy rain, farmers are more than happy to welcome a bountiful harvest this season after a difficult 2023. A deep freeze that February, followed by a late spring freeze and summer floods in the western part of the state led to large-scale crop losses for farmers. Rose, a fourth-generation farmer, described it as "one punch after another."

Jon Clements is a UMass Extension educator with the school's Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. He advises apple growers across the state, and said growing apples here has always been challenging.

"One thing about growing apples is they're out there all year, that trees are out there all year," said Clements. "It's not like a vegetable crop that can be replanted."

Beginning in April and May, buds that go on to become apples are on the trees, exposed to the elements until October. A lot can happen weather-wise in that time, and volatile weather, exacerbated by climate change, can put crops more at risk.

Freezing temperatures during the spring, like what occurred in May 2023, can wipe out the buds on fruit trees. Crops waterlogged by heavy rains are prone to phytophthora, damaging water mold.

Rose suggests the extreme weather and storms are indicative of a wider shift in the region's climate.

"I think all farmers, we're finding that our weather conditions are more comparable to being in the mid-Atlantic than where it was in the past."

Overall, Clements said it's hard to document the specific events that cause crop loss, especially, across a state with over 80 pick-your-own apple farms in such different growing environments.

For Rose, these growing difficulties have led him to diversify what's on his farm. He said he's now growing more different types of apples, along with new crops. A strong hail storm in 2019 also prompted his farm to begin producing hard ciders.

"We've done a lot of different things, including planting sunflowers," said Rose. "So, that's been like a proverbial 'make lemonade out of lemons,' and it's been a wonderful crop to have in addition in the summer and then into the fall."