Local farms see impacts on crops from winter storm’s cold temperatures

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Local farmers saw their impacts to their crops as below freezing temperatures hit the Lowcountry last week.

Fields Farm usually sees an early strawberry season, sometimes even at the end of February, but this year that may not be likely after snow and ice sat on the produce.

“The snow and ice, it freezes a lot of the produce – the strawberries. They’ll come back. We’ll have strawberries on the bush, we have other crops also – kale, whatever. Everything is pretty bad, but the strawberries are coming back,” Joseph Fields, owner of Fields Farm, said.

However with the sunshine, the farmers were able to reassess if they think the plants will survive. On some crops, the buds and blossoms haven’t come out yet which means they could go without replanting.

“The broccoli and stuff, we have to replant it or we’re going to see what it does. They can’t stand the 20 degree weather – collards, cabbage, kale,” Joseph said. “They’re turning colors now, they might come back, they might not – who knows.”

As the snow storm impacted the Lowcountry last week, it also affected the farm’s market. The shop opened back up on Jan. 28 after the ice had melted.

“So we had to close it down for a week. We just opened back up today. This time of year things are pretty slow every year, but when spring comes things start picking back up,” Anna Fields White, farmer, said.

The farmers expect the strawberries to come in around March now.