By Emily Schopfer
MONMOUTH COUNTY – New Jerseyans look forward to summer every year, not just for the Jersey Shore, but for the fresh fruits and vegetables that define The Garden State. But this summer harvest may be smaller than normal, owing to an early-season heat wave followed by a late-season freeze that is estimated to have destroyed upwards of 90% of this year’s crops.
In April, the Mid-Atlantic region (spanning from Virginia to New York) experienced a historic heat wave that caused summer-like temperatures too early in the season. This heat sped up the biological process for many crops.
This early blooming then left the crops exposed once a late-season frost hit. The official Old Farmer’s Almanac reports that the last freeze of the season was April 16 when temperatures plummeted below 25 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
The consequences of this unnatural weather pairing have hurt not just Monmouth County’s crops and produce but those of the entire state of New Jersey. Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office has projected more than $300 million in losses statewide.
Crop Losses
McCormack Farm’s Leah McCormack recalled how one morning in April, she went out to her farm to cut asparagus only to find her field was frozen over. “We had to cut what was frozen and throw it out,” she said.
Farmers Leah and her brother William “Bill” McCormack co-own and manage McCormack Farms off Tindall Road in Middletown. The 30 acres of permanently preserved farm has been family owned and operated since the 1980s.
While some hearty crops such as cauliflower and broccoli can recover from cold, Leah McCormack said many crops that the state is known for, such as blueberries, tomatoes, peaches and apples, are not as resilient to the freeze.
When asked if this April event could result in produce prices soaring this summer, Bill McCormack said that it’s a possibility. “They’re not gonna repair themselves, it’s pretty much done,” he said of the damage.
“You can always start anew, but you’ll be months behind,” added Leah McCormack.
“We usually wait to plant,” she said. “We were holding things back because the weather was so changeable,” so she and her brother were “cautious about starting things.” She credited both this caution and the farm’s location near the shoreline – being near larger bodies of water typically prevents frost, as water holds heat much better than land and can keep coastal areas free of frost – as the reasons for the relatively low impact of the weather on their crops.
Even though the McCormacks’ crops were not completely devastated, Leah McCormack said she knows some neighboring farmers who tried to get a jump once the warm weather came early, only to have their crops destroyed by the subsequent freeze.
Michael McDonald, co-owner of Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, said the April heat wave and freeze were catastrophic to the store’s acres of apple trees, which produce its signature apple cider.
In an interview with The Two River Times, McDonald showed a single apple blossom on otherwise barren row of apple trees and explained the trees should be full of blooms at this time in the season.
While many farmers say they will likely try to replant crops and start the season late, the frost also caused significant damage to other vital part of the ecosystem: pollinators.
Impact on Pollinators
McDonald explained that many local farms, including Delicious Orchards, work together with local beekeepers for pollination on their farms, but “tons of orchards have called (beekeepers) off, because there’s so little fruit, they don’t even need the pollinators.”
Karl Menzer, farm manager of Delicious Orchards for over 10 years, said that the farm’s beehives took a hit, losing six hives to the cold.
Menzer also recalled a story of a friend who was moving beehives to South Jersey for blueberry crops and was told “Don’t even bother, they’re all frozen.”
Chipmunk Hollow Honey Farm in the Leonardo section of Middletown, said that while their bees did exhibit some increased aggression that they attribute to the unseasonal weather, they experienced no hive losses.
“With anything in agriculture, you’re at the mercy of weather,” said Jeff Burd, branch president of the Central Jersey Beekeepers Association. “What happened in April – what happens when you have an unseasonal cold, it doesn’t knock out the bees, it sets them back a few weeks,” Burd said. “All the flowering plants were shut down, no available nectar or pollen.”
In any typical winter, Burd estimates that anywhere from 10% to 20% of bees are lost, but not all attributed to weather. To the best of his knowledge, there have been no reports of widespread hive losses or behavioral changes this season that can be directly attributed to the April weather event.
Burd explained that bees will self-regulate their own temperature within the hives, and with sufficient food storage and mite-prevention they can usually survive any early or late season frosts.
Summer Growing Season
If pollinator populations have not been as diminished as crop populations, any replanted produce could possibly make it to peak harvest. However, not every farmer can afford to replant their crops given the rising costs of imported seeds, fertilizer and other factors caused by international tariffs and high fuel prices.
For those who can afford to reseed, they may have another battle waiting for them on the horizon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a hotter-than-normal summer across much of the United States, and Monmouth County is no exception. On top of it, it won’t just be hotter – it will be drier.
“It comes as no surprise that crops are generally produced in locations most suitable for growing them,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Northeast Climate Hub. This means that crops and produce usually thrive in the standard weather conditions, soil pH, and rainfall native to their environment.
“While warmer temperatures often promote growth, most crops in the Northeast are already being grown close to their optimum temperature. The region, however, is likely to continue to experience increases in average annual growing season air temperature,” which could lead to a shift away from suitable conditions and toward a “significant decline in crop productivity,” according to the USDA.
However, unlike the April weather event that was “unusual and unexpected,” a hot and dry summer is routine in New Jersey, according to William Errickson, Monmouth County Extension Dept. Head and Agriculture & Natural Resources County Agent III for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, in Freehold. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension, part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, is based out of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, but has offices in all 21 New Jersey counties.
Errickson added that just last year the state experienced a hotter and drier summer than what is considered normal. Summer weather is “super unpredictable,” and while it’s certainly a challenge for farmers, it’s somewhat expected, Errickson said.
Errickson has heard from many farmers in Monmouth County who experienced damage and losses, but said “Farmers are resilient,” and many prepare in advance for such weather events.
State of Emergency
The problem is so serious, however, that Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency May 20 because of what she called the “sweeping agricultural losses.” Sherrill even requested disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming that the losses will reach around $300 million, according to her office’s news release.
“In mid-April 2026, New Jersey experienced an unusual weather sequence that devastated the agricultural sector. A prolonged warm spell pushed temperatures above 90 degrees in some areas, causing fruit trees and crops to flower earlier than normal. That warm period was immediately followed by a sharp temperature drop, with lows in the 20s recorded across parts of the state between April 19 and April 22. The timing was particularly destructive as crops were at a critical developmental stage when the freeze hit, resulting in severe injury to blossoms and newly forming fruit,” Sherrill said in a May 20 letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Sherrill estimated that losses are approaching and, in some cases, exceeding 90%, and may be “season-ending” for crops such as peaches, cherries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries and apples. Many other state officials joined Sherrill’s call for relief. “This freeze was unlike anything our growers have experienced in decades, and the damage is staggering,” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said.
“The devastating spring freeze in April hit our farmers hard, especially as they continue to face increasing financial pressures from inflation and rising fuel and operating costs,” said New Jersey State Sen. Nilsa Cruz-Perez, chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee.
What’s Next
The best way to handle unexpected weather events like the one in April is by being proactive, according to Errikson. Crop insurance, improving soil health, keeping up with proper irrigation systems, and taking other proactive steps is the best way to reduce weather impacts, he said.
Unfortunately, this year the damage is already done, and weather cannot be reversed. But steps can still be taken to reduce the financial impact on farmers. Sherrill is pushing for federal assistance, such as low-interest loans that would allow farmers to “recover, sustain their operations, and protect the state’s agricultural capacity for seasons ahead,” according to the letter to the USDA.
In the meantime, shopping local and choosing local farms and farm stands is a great way to support local economies and farmers.
The article originally appeared in the June 4 – 10, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
