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Local farmers feeling the effects of wild February weather swings

We have seen some wild swings in our forecast. Nobody is more affected than our farmers.

Posted Updated

By
Adam Owens
, WRAL anchor/reporter
CARY, N.C. — We have seen some wild swings in our weather forecast this February. Nobody is more impacted than our farmers.

Strawberries are in the field right now and Michael Phillips can attest to the worries that come when seeing the temperatures rise and fall, the snow and the heavy rain and thunderstorms that have happened in February.

The weather has been all over the place. One day calls for short sleeves and the next calls for a sweater. At Phillips Farms in Cary, there are patches of snow now in the strawberry patch. Just a few days ago, temperatures were in the 70s.

Michael Phillips

"The roller coaster of weather is pretty common in North Carolina," Phillips said.

Rapid swings in temperatures are not good for his strawberry crop.

"A freezing comes after that warm weather, it kills the blooms," Phillips said. "And that will actually kill a percentage of your crop."

Phillips estimates a quarter of his strawberries could be lost. Warmer weather puts the plants in growing mode and harsh cold can then burn the fruit out before it matures.

And that is not the only threat.

"Those suckers come right across here, too," Phillips said of deer who come at night to eat on his crop.

Strawberry buds at Michael Phillips' farm

"Deer are amazing creatures, but they are also terrible for crops like this. So they will come from all over."

Some of Phillips' strawberry plants haven't been touched while some are chewed down to the nubs.

"We are just a fresh salad bar for them," Phillips said. "Especially in the cold winter months."

While it sounds bad, Phillips said it is also part of farming in North Carolina. The wild weather and those deer, for generations, farmers have learned its part of the business.

At the moment, Phillips still expects the crop to be a good one.

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