Phil Glaize won’t pick another apple from his 450-acre orchard in Frederick County until September 2027.
That’s due to two “unprecedented” freezes that took place in April of this year, when temperatures dropped to the upper 20s and even down to 18 degrees in some parts of the state, after a spurt of 80-90 degree days in March that encouraged fruit-bearing plants to bud early.
“I’ve been doing this for 45 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Glaize told the Free Press this week.
In a normal year, his orchard produces and ships Gala, Red and Golden Delicious, Fuji, Stamen, and Pink Lady apples to grocery stores from Florida up to Pennsylvania.
“After the first freeze, on April 8, we still had about two-thirds of a crop on the tree,” Glaize said. “The second freeze was April 21, and that took everything. And I mean everything. Normally, you have at least 10 or 15% of a crop to pick. This year, it is 0%.”
Glaize isn’t alone. Virginia growers of apples; peaches, cherries, and other stone fruits; berries; and grapes, as well as some small grain producers, nurseries, and forestry operations sustained severe damage from the early spring freezes.
According to a press release from the office of Rep. Eugene Vindman, the Virginia Cooperative Extension estimates that the value of direct product losses could range from $32.4 to $105.3 million — with some growers, Glaize included, facing total crop failure.
This week, following advocacy from Vindman, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, and a formal request from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Disaster Declaration for 43 primary and 61 contiguous Virginia counties affected by the crop loss.
Stafford and Caroline are among the primary natural disaster counties, with the City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and King George counties among the contiguous disaster localities.
The designation makes farm operators in primary and contiguous counties eligible for emergency federal loan assistance for eight months following the disaster declaration.
“The USDA requires a 30% loss rate [in order to be considered for a disaster declaration],” said Katie Frazier, Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, in an interview with the Free Press. “We well exceeded that.”
“I was at an apple orchard with growers from Shenandoah, Frederick and Rockingham counties,” Frazier continued. “They challenged me to go out and find apples on the trees. I found six, whereas typically I would find a hundred. It was pretty devastating.”
Virginia’s wine growers were also affected by the freezes, Frazier said. In central Virginia, she’s heard reports of an 80% or greater loss for some varietals and vineyards.
According to the designation declaration, the FSA will consider each grower’s emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses and the grower’s repayment ability.
So, “it’s not guaranteed that the USDA is going to come forth with any dollars to help get us through,” Glaize said.
But the emergency declaration is “a start,” he added.
“We had to do this to at least try the process out, and we appreciate Gov. Spanberger understanding the depth of the problem.”
Frazier said the crop loss might affect this fall’s agritourism or “pick-your-own” orchard operations — but that doesn’t mean people should stop visiting these operations.
“There might not be as many ‘pick-your-own’ opportunities this year, but that does not mean there won’t be other great opportunities for agritourism,” Frazier said. “It might look different this year or potentially into next year, but now it’s more important than ever to support local farmers.”
Glaize said customers can support growers by being patient and vocal in their support for Virginia fruit.
“Continue to tell your grocery stores, when Virginia apples are available, that’s what you want,” he said. “And try to find Virginia apples. There are some orchards in the Charlottesville area that fared better than in the Shenandoah Valley.”
Meanwhile, Glaize said, he will be figuring out “how to get from point A to point B, which is from today to September of 2027, the next time we’ll pick an apple.”
“The reason we do this is because of our passion for growing tree fruit,” he continued. “I’m the third generation of my family to do this. The fourth generation is active in the business, and we’re working hard to get it to them.”
