Peaches thrive despite harsh winter
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TROY, Tenn. — Some crops across West Tennessee are suffering after a cold winter, followed by a late spring and a wet, cool summer. There is one crop that’s thriving in this unusual weather — the peach. For more than 50 years the Flippen family has been in the business of growing fruits and veggies on more than 170 acres of land. Their peach orchard takes up 15 of those acres. Owner Pam Killion says it hasn’t looked this good in years. “We have a really good crop this year,” Killion said. “It’s not unusual for us to have a good crop when other people are running thin. That’s the way it is this year.” The Flippin Family Farm dodged a harsh spring frost this year allowing a bumper peach crop. A bumper crop is a crop that overproduces its harvest, which is usually a bonus profit for farmers and extra sale of goods to their consumers. Their fruit is being sold across West Tennessee as well as up and down the Mississippi River. “We sell retail. We have markets in Union City, Martin, Dyersburg, Jackson out by the mall, Jackson at the farmers market,” Killion said. Killion says watermelon and cantaloupe crops are also doing especially well this year. The Flippen Family Farm is just a distribution center and is the only large farm in West Tennessee to have peaches besides the Jones Family Farm in Millington.
