06/08/2026
This is very tough, not only on our farm but on many farmers in PA. We have lost partial crops before, but I can't remember a loss on this scale. Fortunately we have more than just fruit, but that is a big part of our business. Now more than ever is a great time to support your local farmers. (And get some BBQ while you're at it!)
Fruit Update 2026
Across the state of Pennsylvania, the early spring extreme high temperatures and then dropping cold temperatures have impacted the fruit crops.
When fruit trees experience extremely warm temperatures they will begin to come out of their dormancy and start growth.
Mid-April, state wide, we experienced prolonged freezing temperatures. The fruit was already in bloom and could not sustain against the cold.
For our farm -
Strawberries: 80% fruit loss
Raspberries: 0% fruit loss (Yah!!)
Peaches: 100% fruit loss
Cherries: 100% fruit loss
Nectarines: 100% fruit loss
Plums: 100% fruit loss
Apples: 80-90% fruit loss
This is very devasting to us and we understand it is the same for our community. We are continuing to do our best to source as close to Pennsylvania this season as we possibly can. We anticipate that vegetables should be readily available this season as they go in the ground after the chance of frost and cold is past. So go big on veggies this season!
Prices for fruit will be high this season. Please know that farmers in Pennsylvania who are selling you fruit are probably making little to no profit on any fruit they are selling. We understand that food is expensive, in fact, we may understand more than anyone that all inputs are expensive right now. Farms have to sustain the health of their trees despite the loss of fruit and income from that fruit.
It is personal to us, because our major contribution to our communities is food and when that has been taken away, we are left struggling too.
Thank you for showing up and all the kind words that have been expressed on our social media or in person. It truly means so much! Fruit or no fruit we will continue to be a place where you can gather with your friends and family, enjoy the atmosphere and the adaption of what we can offer this season! Grab a table at BiBig Dan's BBQr get it to go and hang around outside. We’ve been through hard things before and together we will persevere this one too.
Denise Bosworth
4th Generation Owner, Rohrbach’s Farm
