Peach farmers in Fort Mill woke up to blooms that were severely damaged by the arctic blast that hit the Charlotte area yesterday morning.
Farmers said they started worrying about potential crop loss months ago when they saw how warm the winter was going to be.
Usually when they prune peach trees, there are few blooms on them. But this year, the trees were full of blooms, and that spelled out big trouble when the cold snap hit.
Ron Edwards told Channel 9 he lost 80 percent of his crop overnight from the bitter cold temperatures. The impact of the loss goes far beyond the farm and York County.
The Department of Agriculture said South Carolina produces three times as many peaches as Georgia does. The state’s crop is worth $90 million a year, and the economic impact is $300 million. Farmers said there will be some peaches in the summer, but most of the crop is gone.
They said all they can do is get ready for next year.