The April Freeze and Pennsylvania Agritourism: Impacts and Support Options

Pennsylvania's late-April freeze created serious losses for fruit and specialty crop farms. Early estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture indicate that Pennsylvania's specialty crop industry could face between $150 million and $200 million in economic losses. Because many agritourism businesses rely on a seasonal mix of crop sales, on-farm experiences, and repeat visitors, reduced fruit availability can quickly become a broader business disruption rather than only a production problem.

Why is this important for agritourism businesses?

Warm spring weather advanced bloom and bud development on many fruit crops before hard freezes arrived, leaving Pennsylvania orchards especially vulnerable to injury. Severe damage was reported across apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and grapes. For agritourism farms, those losses affect more than harvest volume. A lighter crop can mean fewer pick-your-own (PYO) opportunities, less traffic to farm markets, weaker impulse purchases, and lower demand for associated activities that depend on a strong summer or early-fall fruit season.

Previous research and our experience suggest that visitors tend to spend more time at the farm when they can combine multiple experiences, see a wide variety of crops, and take something home. A reduced crop weakens that appeal, which negatively impacts both how long visitors stay and their overall spending.

A farm example from Rohrbach's

Denise Bosworth of Rohrbach's Farm Market in Catawissa (Columbia County) said the business was "significantly impacted," with a very light strawberry crop, complete losses in cherries and peaches, and only about 10% of the apple crop remaining. She noted that the farm expects beautiful raspberries. Hence, diversification can help maintain visitor interest and revenue, even in years of severe crop loss.

Bosworth described the challenge this way: "It's the nature of farming to have to pivot plans. Nothing prepares you for a total loss of fruit, though, so the need to improvise is more than we really can recover for this summer." Hence, operators are not simply replacing one crop with another, but reworking staffing, marketing, budgeting, and customer expectations in real time.

She also emphasized the value of diversification. Rohrbach's has an established summer education program that continues to bring visitors to the farm, and a tourism grant developed in partnership with local organizations was already in place before the freeze. Those assets can help stabilize farm visits even when fruit volume is reduced.

Adaptation and communication

Bosworth said the freeze has paused some forward-looking farm plans and made spending decisions more cautious, even while essential work still has to be completed. She noted that Rohrbach's will focus on the fall, when school tours, private events, and seasonal activities bring a steady flow of visitors and help make up part of the lost income.

Farms with multiple seasons of activity, educational programming, events, retail offerings, or non-fruit attractions may be better positioned to absorb a production shock than farms that depend heavily on a single crop window. Bosworth also pointed to a less visible but very important burden: public communication. She said that explaining what happened and how it affects the farm and the surrounding community has become a daily responsibility. In addition, Bosworth urges farmers and growers to intentionally protect their mental and emotional health this year. She noted that catastrophic loss can be difficult to navigate, and that stepping away from stress, even briefly, matters for both farm operators and the employees watching them.

Resources

Diversification can help agritourism businesses spread risk by creating multiple income streams.  Penn State's agritourism resources highlight several diversification strategies, including low infrastructure farm stays, classes, picnicking and walking trails, petting zoos and animal cuddling, along with broader agritourism and direct-sales strategies and a resource hub for agritourism operators. When expanding and diversifying, be sure to consider the regulatory requirements in Pennsylvania.

A May 27 Penn State Extension webinar, "After the Freeze: Navigating Tough Customer Questions," focused on communicating crop losses and pricing concerns with customers. support to help farms clearly and consistently explain shortages, altered schedules, and changed visitor experiences.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture crop-freeze resources: PDA's crop-freeze page directs producers to reporting tools, USDA contacts, crop insurance information, and related assistance options.

Penn State Extension also offers direct support for farm stress.  Its "Navigating Farm Stress Resources" page includes the 24/7 AgriStress Helpline (call or text 833-897-2474) and other mental health tools for farm families and workers.