Georgia’s apple farmers concerned over months-long drought’s impact on upcoming harvest

Apples \ MGN

In Gilmer County, at the foot of Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, fourth-generation farmer Joshua Aaron is worried about the upcoming fall apple season.

Aaron’s great-grandparents started Aaron Family Orchards decades ago, so he’s seen a lot of times, both good and bad. But during the midst of the state’s months-long drought, the future is beginning to look bleak. Apple orchards are feeling the heat, and it’s already showing signs of impacting the upcoming harvest season.

In Ellijay, known as the Apple Capital of Georgia, the air is fresh, and the skies are blue, but those blue skies have been around for far too long and are now leading to growing problems at Aaron Family Orchards.

“Whether it be U-pick or going to schools or here in the market, we’re really watching how much rainfall we’re getting to make sure that we’re not going to have a large crop fall or have some kind of delay or hindrance in size of the crop,” Aaron said.

Meanwhile, the apples are just beginning to pop up on the trees, but so is anxiety in the voices of local orchard owners like Aaron.

“Luckily in North Georgia, we’ve actually gotten a little bit of rain, a lot more than the rest of the state, but even with the rain that we’ve gotten, we’re still in a severe drought,” Aaron explained.

While it could be even worse, the impacts of the deepening drought are starting to show. As the trees shield themselves from additional drying under the searing summer sun, curled-up leaves are beginning to appear as the added stress builds.

Just like with humans, when the trees are under stress, they’re more susceptible to disease. Over time, bacteria can get into their blooms. That can kill an entire branch and possibly even the whole tree.

Less rain equals fewer nutrients, says Anna Woodward, an agriculture and natural resources agent at the University of Georgia. She says that leads to weak trees that can’t fight fungus and disease, which also means serious consequences in store for the fall harvest.

“I’m thinking just overall a decline in plant health. The plants are going to be stressed, and so probably lower fruit yield, lower fruit quality,” Woodward said.

And the worst-case scenario if things don’t get better?

“If it gets bad enough, a lot of these apples will end up falling off if the drought gets too bad,” Aarons said. “Like I mentioned earlier, I’m hoping we’ll get some rain here soon, but having a crop fall is a sad thing to watch.”

If things don’t get better soon, there won’t be much left to sink your teeth into come season’s end in North Georgia’s apple country.

Apple picking season kicks off Labor Day weekend through October.