Поздние заморозки уничтожили урожай яблок и винограда в Вирджинии, вызвав убытки более чем на 100 млн долларов

Branches that are usually laden with Gala apples stood nearly bare at Glaize Orchard on Aug. 20, illustrating the scale of spring freeze losses facing growers statewide. During a tour of the Shenandoah County orchard followed by a roundtable discussion with growers, U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-6th, heard about damage caused by late spring frost and freeze events to Virginia fruit crops and vineyards. "Normally, we'd be pulling about 4,000 bushels of Gala apples off the trees every day," orchard owner Phil Glaize Jr. said. "But this year, we're not picking." Among the orchard's five growing locations, only one is expected to produce about 10% of a normal crop. "And we have not stopped spending money," Glaize added. © Virginia Farm Bureau Virginia Cooperative Extension reports that affected growers may collectively lose more than $100 million. "We had two severe late freeze events that horrendously impacted fruits, produce and vineyards," said Virginia Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Ben Rowe. "Some vineyard operators lost 100% of production in Central Virginia." Rowe said state leaders are exploring establishing a Virginia agricultural disaster relief program to complement federal assistance programs. Scott Johnson, senior vice president of Shawnee Canning Co., said the apple shortage is affecting food processors that depend on Virginia fruit. The company is looking as far away as Washington State for supplies. "We can't have apple butter next year," he said. Winemaker Jennifer Breaux, president of Breaux Vineyards and the Virginia Wineries Association, said reduced production leads to employment disruption and declines in industry membership revenues supporting statewide programs. "The trickle-down effect is immense," Breaux said. "But I think we're all going to leave this crisis better educated on how to handle it in the future." Fifth-generation peach grower Henry Chiles of Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet also raised this year's bottlenecks in H-2A application processing, which delayed the arrival of agricultural guest workers. "A bigger threat than a spring freeze is losing a sustainable, legal supply of labor to run these farms," he said. "If labor is not consistent, we cannot operate any of the businesses represented here." Chiles urged Cline to support the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill to reform and expand the H-2A agricultural guest worker program. Cline said improving the H-2A process is a priority across party lines. Growers also discussed efforts to secure a federal freeze disaster declaration, which unlocked low-interest emergency loans, and asked Cline to support ad hoc disaster funds. "Severe weather events are not partisan issues," Cline said. "We're working together as a team to support you in recovery and continuing forward." For more information: Olivia Gyapong Virginia Farm Bureau Tel: +1 804 290 1012 Email: [email protected] www.articles.vafb.com