April Freeze Cuts Sewell Peach Picking; USDA Loans Available

Families in Sewell should not expect a normal fruit-picking season at Duffield’s Farm Market. The farm will not offer peach picking in summer 2026 and expects roughly half its usual apple crop after a freeze that struck New Jersey from April 19 through April 22.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the damage is affecting more than what visitors see in the fields. Duffield’s also will not host its fall 2026 apple-picking trips for local schools, removing a recurring seasonal activity for students and families.

Crop losses are also affecting farm work

With fewer peaches and apples available, Duffield’s has reduced work hours for migrant farm laborers from Puerto Rico, according to the Inquirer’s July 7 report. The change illustrates how a weather event can reach beyond the farm itself, affecting seasonal employment and the routines of workers who depend on crop production.

The reported conditions are specific to Duffield’s and should not be treated as a measure of every farm in Sewell or Gloucester County. However, the federal disaster designation confirms that the freeze caused significant agricultural damage across designated New Jersey counties.

Gloucester County qualifies for a federal disaster designation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency designated Gloucester County a primary natural-disaster county because of the freeze. That designation makes eligible producers able to seek USDA emergency loans intended to help cover certain recovery needs.

The loans are not automatic grants. Producers must meet the program’s eligibility and approval requirements, and applications tied to this disaster designation are due by February 8, 2027. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has also published guidance on the designation and available assistance.

What Sewell residents should expect

For local families, the clearest immediate effect is the loss of Duffield’s peach-picking season and the absence of its fall school apple-picking trips in 2026. The smaller expected apple crop could also mean less local availability later in the season.

Reduced supply may put upward pressure on produce prices, although the available reporting does not establish that prices have already increased. Residents who rely on local farms for seasonal fruit, school visits, or farm-related work should expect the freeze’s effects to continue through the 2026 growing season.

For Gloucester County growers, the USDA deadline provides a potential recovery path, but the next step is an individual application rather than an automatic payment. The farm-level consequences in Sewell show why the federal designation matters locally: the damage is being felt in crops, school programs, seasonal labor, and familiar community activities.

Sources

• The Philadelphia Inquirer report on South Jersey crop losses
• USDA Farm Service Agency disaster designation
• New Jersey Department of Agriculture freeze-disaster guidance