HEISKELL, Tenn. — The weather in East Tennessee may have a residual effect on many families' holiday plans. One local farmer said that because of the recent dry conditions and last year's cold snap, this year's crop of Christmas trees is smaller and shorter.
"What was against us was the cold, really cold weather we had this past winter. That really hurt the trees, dried them out," said Leo Collins, who owns the Blue Bird Christmas Tree Farm in Heiskell. "Each of these, all of them, should be probably ten inches taller than they are."
Darryl Long, a pumpkin patch operator at the farm, said even though some rain clouds moved through the East Tennessee area recently, it's too little and too late.
"They really need water throughout their life cycle. And so, if it turns off dry at the last third of the cycle, it really affects them," said Long.
Christmas trees aren't the only crop affected. Pumpkins and peaches are other kinds of plants that need good weather to grow well. Bad weather can also impact families' grocery bills.
"This year, I'd say the biggest crop that was really hurt by the weather was peaches. When you lose so much of the crop, you just supply and demand and it just comes to, that's the way it's got to be," said Steve Searcy, who helps sell fruit in East Tennessee.
Collins also said price increases for crops also came from inflation rates, and from a nationwide tree shortage.