Farmers in Central Pennsylvania are taking advantage of the warmer weather before temperatures plunge again. Workers at Brown’s Orchards, in Loganville, York County, are cleaning up their apple orchards. Pruning can only be done in 15 degrees or higher because when temperatures drop, the crop buds are at risk of driving.
Brown’s Orchards President, Dave Brown says, “Right now buds are programmed to start popping out. We have longer days and the sun’s shining longer now, so they’re ready to pop and they are starting to push now. So that’s where we get concerned about the sharp drop in temperatures.”
Brown says they’ll know how the weather impacts business in June, during the harvest. Workers say Wednesday’s 40 degree drop in temperatures will once again shut down pruning operations. Their goal is to get as much work done before the buds break in April.