Not so peachy: Tough year for peach crop in Alabama
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - This could be difficult year for Alabama peach growers.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System says farmers are expected to produce only 10 percent to 30 percent of their usual harvest this year.
The combination of a warm winter, a late frost and the lingering stress caused by last year's drought are hurting crops at some orchards. The central part of the state is particularly hard hit.
Edgar Vinson, an Alabama Extension fruit specialist, says peaches need a certain number of cold days every winter to produce healthy fruit in the spring and summer.