OVIEDO, Fla. – Farmers will be keeping a close eye on their crops as cold weather makes its way to Central Florida this week.
Rex Clonts, the owner of BigDaddy’s Organic Farm in Oviedo, says it should be prime strawberry season but the cold and wet weather we’ve already seen this year has not been ideal.
“If you’re outdoors, you’re at the mercy of that freeze,” said Clonts.
Clonts’ family has been growing produce in the Black Hammock area since the 1920′s. His grandfather nicknamed “Big Daddy” is the namesake for his business that now sells u-pick produce on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
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“We’re growing on 12 acres of land. So, we can produce quite a bit on that acreage when the weather is right.”
Clonts says the cold expected this week is not ideal for his tender crops, like tomatoes, beans, squashes and cucumbers. If it’s bad enough, berries can also be impacted.
“We succession plant, so hopefully if we have that kind of event, we’re only out of those things for two or three weeks, and then we’re back with the next plant,” said Clonts.
Clonts showed News 6 his field irrigation system that he may have to use this weekend. If it gets cold enough, he can water his strawberries to protect them.
“The plant gets very cold, but it doesn’t freeze. It preserves it so that in a few days it can get back to its normal growth,” said Clonts.
Clonts says the weather not only affects his crops but also his customers. Families are less likely to visit when it’s cold and rainy.
“Families absolutely love U-pick, but they don’t like to do it in bad weather,” said Clonts. “Cold and rainy days are really rough on customers. We’ll triple, quadruple our customers on a nice day compared to a bad weather day.”
Clonts is hoping it stays warm enough on his land to get by without any slowdown in business.
In Seminole County, emergency crews plan to activate their extreme weather plan Tuesday night because they expect temperatures to drop below 40 degrees for 4 or more hours.
Aaron Funk with Seminole County Emergency Management says their main concerns are assisted living facilities and the homeless population.
“If we do have a large power outage at one of our assisted living facilities, or other health care facilities, we may need to move folks temporarily to keep them warm,” said Funk.
In December, the county showed News 6 the supplies they have staged in case of an emergency. Generators and extra blankets are on standby in case they suddenly need to open a shelter.
You can read more about the resources available HERE.
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