Fruit farmers across Limestone County are about worn out. “I have eight words for you,” said Wes Isom of Isom’s Orchard in West Limestone County. “I’ll be glad when this year is over, ” he laughed.

It’s harvest time for many of the fruits at the orchard. In particular, they are picking peaches and apples but their yields are not going to be as good and some past years.

“We’re watering but it’s not the same as rain,” said Isom.

Watering is good for the crop but rain helps to cool off the crop, prevent sunburn and gives the plants time to absorb it, he explained.

“The heat is just about as bad as the dryness,” he said.

Fruits are just developing smaller and sweeter, said Doug Chapman, extension agent at the Belle Mina Limestone County Extension office. Peaches and apples, in particular, are a lot smaller and the sugar is more concentrated.

This smallness of the fruit is why yields are not as high. It’s as simple as bigger fruit fill a basket faster than smaller fruit.

Isom said, for example, peaches are running about 78 percent of a normal crop and with apples they would be good to do half of a normal crop yield.

However, there is no crisis, most fruits are just fickle anyways, said Chapman.

“Anytime you’ve got fruit you’ve got problems,” said Chapman. “Growing fruit is just a challenge, period.”

The level of management is extreme and the risk level is extreme, he said.

“We’ve had a drought, but we’ve got fruit. We’re picking fruit and selling fruit, but it’s not a disaster,” said Chapman. “There is no perfect year and this is no exception.”

Isom said they had to go up on the prices of their peaches and some other produce, because of the increases on supplies like fuel.

However, he said his business is doing pretty good all things considered.

“It’s only the first time we’ve went up on prices in 3 years,” he said.