BOULDER, Colo. — Denver7 has extensively covered the impacts of Colorado's dry winter and summer and the effect it's had all over the state. The effects are still being felt this fall as vendors at local farmers markets are without popular favorites as farmers markets enter their final weeks.
"We have a zero percent crop this year. We lost everything," said Jenny Nagle with Ela Family Farms located in Delta County.
Nagle told Denver7's Tyler Melito that normally they grow 50 different varieties of fruit, ranging from cherries, peaches, pears, and plums, as well as 30 different types of apples.
But because of an unseasonable winter and spring, their plants bloomed three weeks earlier, and all it took was one cold night for them to lose everything.
"When we heard that forecast for April 17, we knew we were in trouble," Nagle recalled.
Nagle said that night, temperatures dipped into the low 20s, and while they tried to do everything they could, it was not enough.
"Up all night running wind machines, doing everything we could to, you know, help mitigate and try to mix that warm air from the upper atmosphere down among the trees," Nagle shared. "And it just was too cold for too long."
They don't have their usual allotment of fruit this year, a fact that is a gut punch to some customers.
"We usually buy a whole case of, you know, pears or a whole case of apples or peaches or cherries, and there was very, very little this year, if (any)," said Elene Mooney, a Boulder resident who has been coming to the farmers market for 30 years.
Nagle said they are still able to sell some things, thanks to ensuring no piece of fruit goes to waste.
"We have customers that we see every single week that, you know, they can't get fresh apples, so they better have applesauce," Nagle detailed.
Ela Family Farms has been growing fruit in Colorado since 1907. Nagle said they have seen good winters and bad winters, and fortunately, they have insurance. They plan on being back better than ever in 2027.
"We'll be back next year," Nagle said. "The trees look healthy. As you know, it's a drought year, so maybe it's a good year for them to not have fruit hanging off of them and stressing them. So you know, we're trying to find the silver lining."
Nagle said the support has been extremely positive from customers. One of those customers is Louisville resident Kate Petersen, who told Melito it's vital to support local businesses in good times and bad.
"I think it's just important to support people who have a vision and have a dream for their own business, their small businesses, because I like to support it whenever I can," Petersen said. "And I think this is just a fun way to get to do that."
Boulder Farmers Market officials like Marketing Specialist Katie MacKinnon, said the fall is perfect for farmers markets.
"This time of year is perfect to be at the farmers market. You know, people often think it's the peak of summer, but it's really that transition into fall," MacKinnon told Melito.
While they were devastated to hear about some farms like Ela's that didn't have crops this year, they are prepared to welcome those farms back with open arms in 2027.
"Those farmers who weren't able to make it to the market this year because they don't have crops, they know that they are, of course, welcome when they come back. It's not like their spot's going to be filled," MacKinnon said.
