Rotting apples and oranges could cost U.S. billions of dollars
Fresh oranges from the sunshine state could be hard to come by as record breaking frigid temperatures are threatening harvests.
"All it takes is one cold snap to hurt the crops for years to come. We had a freeze back in 2010 and in one month was lost seven and half million dollars repots. ... It an a1 billionaire industry," WYVT reports.
And winter's grasp doesn't seem to be letting up as there are freeze warnings and wind chill advisory throughout the state.
One tactic farmers are using to keep the crops relatively warm is to spray the trees in water which will then freeze and provide a protective barrier from the harsh cold and wind.
But there is a problem that could make this an issue for future seasons as well - the freezing tactic doesn't work on the flowers that oranges grow from. Marty McKenna, an orange grower and chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission told NBC, "It's highly unusual and I can't remember a cold snap hitting when the trees were already flowering like this."Those blooms are meant to help supply next year's crop.
While Florida has an enormous Orange industry, California could have more reason to worry. Even through the fruits are actually growing, boxes and boxes of ready to ship oranges and apples are being left to rot on the docks.
That as workers about 2,000 workers are refusing to work while negotiating a new contact with employees. However, the lack of supplies leaving the country could have a large monitory impact.
Washington states scored its biggest apple harvest in history this year and growers were anticipating huge sales in china.... instead, producers are dumping spoiled apples into canyons," reported CNN.
That issue is expected to continue until those workers and their employers gave reached can make an agreement .
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