CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte broke multiple records with warm temperatures Thursday, but things will be much cooler this weekend. Now, farmers are left with few options to protect their plants and produce from Mother Nature's wacky weather.
Chris Kiker, a farmer for Fat Boy's Produce at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market says farms need a consistent winter, unlike what the Carolinas have been experiencing the past few weeks. Basically, the plants think it's spring when we have several more weeks of potentially freezing weather ahead.
"When it starts warming up like this our plants get excited and they start blooming a little bit earlier," Annie Newsome, the market manager for the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, said.
The warm weather has another downside.
"The insect population just continues to get bigger and they don't all die off," Newsome said.
Despite the bugs, some farmers are enjoying the warmer weather. However, they know it might not always be around and they're ready for more cool weather.
"If we have another freeze it will limit the amount and kill a lot of the other plants," Kiker said. "The quality will be a lot lower and the quantity will definitely be a lot less."
Protective measures farmers can take range from irrigation to simply covering their plants to shield them from the elements. Ultimately though, if popular produce like berries and peaches are killed off, high demand and low quantities will drive up the prices.
That leaves Newsome and Kiker with few options to adjust and a simple request from Mother Nature: better weather.
Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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