Utah farmers urge consumers to buy local fruit after freeze slashes harvest

SPANISH FORK — A warm winter and a damaging April freeze wiped out much of Utah's fruit crop this year, leaving farmers with significantly smaller harvests and a greater need for consumer support.

While many orchards lost most of their fruit production, growers said Utah shoppers can still find locally grown produce at farmers markets and farm stores.

The unusual weather pattern caused fruit trees to bloom earlier than normal.

"The winter has been so warm and so blossoms were progressing," said Matt Hargreaves, vice president of communications for the Utah Farm Bureau. "Everything was going to be early. And then, as it always does, a frost came in April. And for many of the farmers, they lost everything."

Tara Wall, who owns a fruit farm and Wall Brothers The Barn retail store with her husband, Chris, said the freeze had a devastating impact on fruit growers across the state, including them.

"It was really wild to see how cold it got and how it shouldn't have been budding when it was budding," she said. "It took them out, and it was quite devastating to watch."

Despite widespread losses, some orchards escaped the worst damage.

"Some farmers, fortunately just based on where they were geographically, had some fruit to survive," Hargreaves said. "That's what we're trying to help people understand. There still is some fruit that made it. It's just going to be more limited."

Wall said one of her family's farms near Utah Lake benefited from its location and retained a portion of its fruit crop.

"We went from maybe usually picking 12 or 15 different varieties of peaches to really just two," she said. "Where we usually shake about three and a half weeks with two crews night and day, we would shake, millions of pounds of cherries, and we ended up going and shaking about four days' worth," Wall said.

The Barn is selling its own fruit harvest along with products from neighboring farmers. The business also may bring in fruit from affiliated farms in Idaho to supplement local offerings.

"We just ask the consumer, the Utah friend of ours, to come support us," Wall said.

Hargreaves encourages customers to support local growers.

"When you go to farmers markets and you go to some of your retail stores, you can ask, 'Where is this fruit from?'" he said.

Although supplies are limited this season, farmers say supporting local orchards now can help sustain Utah agriculture through a challenging year.

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