Updated on June 22, 2026 by Ruth
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All of my cousins and I learned the story of the peach crop failures during the Great Depression from our grandfather. Three years in a row, due to a viral blight and different weather crises, there was no peach crop. The third year had severe wind from a hurricane that uprooted most of the peach trees. Since it took five years to plant new trees and get a crop, many farmers lost their farms due to being unable to pay property taxes and other bills.
1933, 1934, 1935. Even farmers, such as my grandparents, who had many different crops, had a hard time paying bills due to the low prices of farm products during the depression. My grandfather tells of getting three cents per pound for meat. Peaches were a major cash crop, and the income was supposed to provide the funds to be able to carry the farm through the winter.
As a result of these catastrophic years, Delaware’s peach trees went from numbering 3,000,000 to 300,000, leaving just 10% of what had been a powerful economic driver for the state.
Our family history stretches back to 1832, when my 4X great grandfather started farming on this property in Delaware. There is no other story of a catastrophic crop failure like the one about the peaches during the depression.
Fast forward to the spring of 2026. A single night in late April had temperatures plunging into the teens and causing damage, not only to peaches, but also to cherries, plums, and apples throughout the Mid Atlantic region. This comes on top of a bankruptcy declaration from Del Monte, which left farmers in California and Texas with nowhere to sell their peaches. Many farmers are reeling from the staggering complications of what it means to have an 80% to 100% crop loss on some of their most popular orchard fruit.
Many farmers have implemented a “Pick-your-own” program, which gets people to the farm and has them enjoying the fun of picking and eating fruit right off the tree. That won’t happen this year, due to the lack of fruit. Now farmers are scrambling to see what other activities they can provide or what other crops they can quickly plant so that they have something to sell. Farmers are contacting other farmers they know to see who has product and if they can bring in inventory so they have something to sell.
The depth of this catastrophe is unprecedented. This is not something that that has happened in our family’s history in 194 years. Our particular farm was on the edge of the weather; we had a hard frost. Farms just 15 miles away were 15° colder than what we had. While we have some tree fruit, we are seeing damage of up to 80% in certain crops like figs, persimmons and blueberries.
Here is how it works with farming. We don’t get paid until we sell what we have grown. If we don’t have product to sell, we don’t get paid. If there are not fields available for pick your own, employees are not hired to staff those fields. Crop failures affect the farmer and all of the employees who may be hired to harvest or maintain the fields. People who plan on visiting the farm can still visit the farm, but not engage in the same activities. The effect ripples out into the community in many different ways.
Most farmers will be able to weather this year‘s catastrophe. If it happens again, that will prove devastating. I am sure that all of the farmers I know are doing what we are doing: looking for ways to lessen the impact of another catastrophic season. Are there different crops we can grow or activities that we can provide? Can we protect the existing trees? How do we ensure financial stability for our core employees? Can we strengthen the network of farmers we know to ensure a consistent supply of food?
This major crop failure comes on top of rising prices and economic pressure on the infrastructure for the family farm. A key factor for farm survival will be how much debt the farm is carrying and how embedded in the community the farm is. Strong community support will make a huge difference for the survival of the local farm.
If having a local farm in your community is of any importance to you, I encourage you to support them in whatever way you can. Visit and buy something, support them on social media, with likes, comments, and shares, return to the farm on a regular basis and buy something. It will be a different farm experience, but you will be making a huge difference for that farm.
As for us? We will make it through. Volatile weather seems to be our new normal. Our job is to figure out how to mitigate the volatility. Thank you for your support of small businesses; you make it possible for us to keep growing.
