Scott Farm Crop Loss Recovery Fund

A hard freeze and a tough loss

As you may have heard in the news recently, a number of Vermont farms, including Scott Farm, were subjected to a catastrophic freeze last month. We wanted to take some time to share with you the extent of the damage, how you can help, and our plans for weathering what will be a challenging season.

In the early hours of May 18th, the temperatures in our orchard dropped down to 25 degrees. The apple trees, in their Spring cycle, were in the late stage of bloom, most varieties at petal fall. This vulnerable time combined with the unseasonably cold temperatures resulted in the little fruitlets, only a few millimeters long, freezing for a few hours.

Later that morning, as our orchardist Erin inspected different blocks in the orchard, it quickly became evident that the damage to our apple crop was extensive. As the frozen fruitlets thawed, the cores were brown or black, killed by the cold. The news was devastating.

Over the last three weeks, we have been hoping for some miracle, but sadly it has become clear that we have lost upwards of 90% of our crop. The few apples that survived, in the higher blocks of the orchard, have been scarred and damaged by the frost. We will likely harvest some apples, but they will be misshapen and deformed.

Again and again, through the droughts and heavy rainfalls of the last few years, our trees have shown so much resilience. Ironically, it's during that short window of time, when they are at the peak of their beauty, adorned with a thousand flowers, that they are also at their most vulnerable. It’s really tough to be so vulnerable.

There is no doubt that climate instability, “global weirding,” played a role in this tragedy. Hot temperatures in April hastened the bloom. A hard freeze on May 18th killed the flowers and their little fruitlets.

Our business is centered around the production, harvest, and sale of apples. And what a beautiful collection we have. Last year, we harvested over 12,000 bushels, which translated into gross sales of about $500,000. This year, it will be a small fraction of that. How can we recover from such a loss? If we are able to collect a crop insurance payment it will be for only a small portion of the loss. Federal recovery funds are a long shot. We do not know how big or small a hole we will be in by the end of the year, but we have decided to keep our heads up and forge forward with positivity. Our new motto is “All is not frost!”

We are not alone in this tragedy. Most orchards in Vermont and neighboring states are in a similar situation. If you love fruit and appreciate your local fruit growers, this is the time, more than ever before, when you can extend a hand and help.

Here are ways you can help Scott Farm survive this devastating loss:

Thank you so much for your support.

All is Not Frost!

Simon, Erin, and all the Scott Farm team