Frost Alert & Ag Leader Departs

Frost Alert & Ag Leader Departs

Frost Alert & Ag Leader Departs. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

News came down late Monday that Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Bud Hover has tendered his resignation after two years on the job. Hover cites returning to his farm in Okanogan County and spend more time with his wife and family as reason for leaving. He will continue to serve through the current Legislative Session, scheduled to conclude April 26, to ensure a smooth transition.

For the most part the frost season in the northwest has come and gone with very little issues. What producers are most concerned about here is the lack of water to get through the growing season. But in other areas of the country cold temperatures could have a detrimental affect on tree fruit like peaches and that in turn could affect prices and demand for NW fruit. Fortunately, meteorologist, Brad Rippey, says the Mid-Atlantic peach belt likely came out ok from the March 29th freeze.

RIPPEY: The good news for the Mid-Atlantic peach belt is that the crop was not very far along. It's been a much cooler March as you head north into Virginia and points north. So the crop was not yet blooming and so even though temperatures dropped into the teens in some orchards it should not be a concern for the crop. We're really looking at that main southeastern belt stretching from Alabama though Georgia and into the Carolinas.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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