As residents bundle up to escape the low temperatures, farmers are worried less about themselves and more about their crops.
John Steyer, 77, owner of Little Bit Nursery in Starke, said his crops were severely damaged last week when the temperature dropped dozens of degrees in one day.
“We knew ahead of time, of course,” Steyer said. “We covered crops. We froze the fields. But we still had extensive damage.”
He said all of his plants in the field were damaged by the cold and are now infected by fungi.
The lack of sun will likely kill infected plants in a few days, he said.
Steyer said he also noticed a recent decline in vendors at the weekly Alachua County Farmers’ Market where he sells produce.
“I don’t think there is a farmer out there who wasn’t affected by this cold front,” Steyer said.
Jeff Huffman, WUFT chief meteorologist, said the cold snap is because of a jet stream, which is a river of air that steers storm systems.
This year, systems were driven unusually far to the south, he said.
Farmers are advised to pay close attention to the news and use overhead sprinkler irrigation, said Daniel Dourte, research associate for the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
The sprinklers cause the plants to freeze, preventing further damage by trapping heat.
Rebecca Tate, a massage student who helps Steyer with his farm, said she thinks having enough people to lend a hand on the farm can also reduce damages.
“Definitely be prepared and have more than one person to help out, because we lost a lot on the farm, and it significantly hurt the market,” Tate said.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 1/16/2014 under the headline "Local farmers’ crops suffering during cold weather snaps"
