'All odds are stacked against you:' Winter weather freeze picks at peach farmers

BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) -- For farmer James Greene at Greene Acre Farms, it's all about timing: when to plant, when to blossom, and when to reap but last weekend's winter freeze might have put a damper on those plans.

"When you hear that freeze warning coming, you're just expecting it's going to be a long summer cause you know the peach crop fixing to get hurt," Greene said.

As plunging temperatures in the low 20s just weren't on his radar, Greene says this year's crop reapings are up in the air.

"All odds are stacked against you and when you had weather like this weekend then it's totally out of your control," Greene said.

With 10 acres out of the 65 dedicated to producing peaches, his plans of breaking even this crop season just might have wilted away.

"[Peaches] all bloom within a 14-day window that's why frost is so damaging to them, within two weeks the first one blooms the last one bloom as well and they only bloom one time," Greene said.

University of Georgia Extension Natural Resources Agent, Cole Moon says it's a harsh reality that adds to a growing list of problems.

"The frost that we had this weekend will kill them so they will have to turn around and kill them, but that's big money that's major money we're talking about," Moon said.

A possibility that Greene said many farmers are not exempt from.

"They cost the same whether they make a crop or not, you still got to prune them to irrigate them, and fertilize them, it's not like the crop is done for this year, you still put the same amount of time and money in them even if they don't make anything," Greene said.

With rising costs and weather conditions affecting everything, Greene says that expense, unfortunately, affects everyone, including the consumer.

Despite the hardships, Greene and his family remain optimistic going into spring.

"You always have to be optimistic even if you're backed against the wall you always look for tomorrow, farming is a different set of challenges than working for somebody else, if you're working for somebody else your gonna get a paycheck on Friday whether it rains or sleets or snows, when your farming you don't even know the outcome, the weather could affect that but were too hard-headed we'll be here again next year," Greene said.