A family-owned and operated satsuma orchard in Mobile was devastated by the surprising snowfall in January. Now, the Thornburg family is hoping a yield gap this year will turn into an abundant bumper crop in 2026.
"It was devastating to the Satsuma industry this year," Southern Orchards owner Chad Thornburg told 1819 News. "Primarily, when it snowed, there was not any fruit left on the trees."
The Thornburgs planted their first trees 12 years ago. After several years, they were able to begin harvesting and selling the delicious fruits.
While they knew this year's snow was going to impact their mid-October to December harvest season, they had no way to know how bad it was until the spring.
When watching his crop in mid-April, Thornburg realized there were no blooms.
"Spring's my favorite time there. They're loaded up with blooms," Thornburg remembered. "But this year, at that point, we knew we weren't going to have anything. So, this year, we will have zero fruit."
Southern Orchards lost thousands of dollars from the snow, despite efforts to protect the trees with freeze protection.
"Our entire orchard is irrigated with little microjet sprinklers that spray the base of the tree," Thornburg explained. "It sounds kind of crazy, but what you're doing is you're trying to protect the grass of the tree and you essentially make like an igloo around it and it keeps that base of the tree at 32 degrees."
While a few trees were killed from the snow event, Thornburg said his heart goes out to neighboring farms where thousands of trees were lost. He realizes that re-planting and waiting for a yield could be a harsh reality for many larger orchards. Thornburg is also thankful he has a full-time job with the Mobile Fire Department to provide for his family.
In the meantime, Thornburg and his wife, Jenny, are looking for the rainbow after the storm.
"We hope and pray with no fruit on the trees this year, that hopefully next year we'll have a bumper crop because the trees won't have to put any energy out to maintain the fruit this year," said Thornburg.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
