TEXAS Hill Country peach growers have sustained larger-than-expected losses from severe weather this year, with production expected to be less than half the level it reached last year and the season closing down early at some stands.
"The Hill Country got hit worse than other growing areas around the state," said Jim Kamas, Texas AgriLife Extension Service fruit specialist in Fredericksburg. "There was nice fruit out there. There just wasn't enough of it."
Kamas estimates that Hill Country growers will produce about 40 percent of the peaches they would in an average year, though performance will vary wildly from one orchard to another.
While peaches might be available into mid-September at some stands, he urged peach lovers to call ahead to make sure something would be available as the season winds to a close.
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