Pennsylvania's late-April freeze created serious losses for fruit and specialty crop farms. Early estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture indicate that Pennsylvania's specialty crop industry could face between $150 million and $200 million in economic losses. Because many agritourism businesses rely on a seasonal mix of crop sales, on-farm experiences, and repeat visitors, reduced fruit availability can quickly become a broader business disruption rather than only a production problem.
Why is this important for agritourism businesses?
Warm spring weather advanced bloom and bud development on many fruit crops before hard freezes arrived, leaving Pennsylvania orchards especially vulnerable to injury. Severe damage was reported across apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and grapes. For agritourism farms, those losses affect more than harvest volume. A lighter crop can mean fewer pick-your-own (PYO) opportunities, less traffic to farm markets, weaker impulse purchases, and lower demand for associated activities that depend on a strong summer or early-fall fruit season.
Previous research and our experience suggest that visitors tend to spend more time at the farm when they can combine multiple experiences, see a wide variety of crops, and take something home. A reduced crop weakens that appeal, which negatively impacts both how long visitors stay and their overall spending.
A farm example from Rohrbach's
Denise Bosworth of Rohrbach's Farm Market in Catawissa (Columbia County) said the business was "significantly impacted," with a very light strawberry crop, complete losses in cherries and peaches, and only about 10% of the apple crop remaining. She noted that the farm expects beautiful raspberries.
Source : psu.edu