Cold Weather Destroys Crops
We have all witnessed the sudden change in whether from mid-80's to mid-30's in a matter of days; it didn't affect us in Marietta, Ohio drastically, other than the onset of a cold or a bad mood. In southern states, such as South Carolina and Alabama, this cold front has hit them hard. Most of the land in these states is dedicated to farming, South Carolina with its peaches and Alabama with its plums and pecans. Three days of freezing temperatures have nearly destroyed most of the crops from these two countries. Almost 60 acres of peaches in South Carolina have been killed due to frost and ice. One farmer, Raymond Cook, claims that this damage is "the worst he's ever seen." Other states, such as West Virginia and Georgia, have also suffered tremendous losses because of the cold front that occured in early April.
Because so many crops have been destroyed, prices of these fruits and vegetables may be driven up. The demand may stay the same, but because their is less supply, the price will rise. Will consumers still purchase these goods even if the prices rise tremendously?
2 comments:
I would wager that individuals would not continue to buy the fruits if prices rose to high. While fruit is healthy and many people enjoy it, The tend to only enjoy it at a certain price. The southern states weren't the only states effected by the cold snap. Almost the entire country was effected so this could cause problems not only in fruits but also in vegetables. This could just be a very bad summer for the purchase of healthy foods. That's never good for anyone.
Consumers will pay for these fruits to an extent. Many consumers are willing to pay a few extra cents for these items. But how far are they willing to go? That im not sure of and I think only time will tell. A similar situation occurred last year in the western United States effecting many vegtables such as tomatos. I recall going through a Wendy's drive-thru and reading a sign , "Tomatos available by request only due to the cold temperatures in California." Personally this didnt bother me, but surely some people were at a loss.
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