LOCKPORT, N.Y. — When Kyle Townsend and Mitchell Gunther decided to start an orchard in this town just east of Niagara Falls two years ago, they quickly dismissed the idea of growing conventional fruit. Warmer winters, followed by snap freezes, were devastating apple and peach crops. They nixed grape vines and berries, which invasive pests were targeting.
This American fruit could outcompete apples and peaches on a hotter planet
The resilient, native fruit has a cult following and could be small farms’ hedge against climate change in a fast-warming world
8 min
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