'One thing after another': Multiple factors hit Utah County farm hard

GENOLA, Utah County — A third-generation farmer, Chris Riley, said 2026, so far, has turned out especially bad.

"It's just been a been a pretty horrendous year," he said. "It just feels like it's one thing after another."

The difficult outcomes started after an early spring bloom, followed by a late freeze, wiping out nearly all tree fruits in his 150 acres of orchards.

"We bloomed about three to four weeks earlier than normal. And really we knew we were in trouble at that point," Riley said. "We were running wind machines. We have heaters, propane heaters scattered throughout the orchard. Several hundred of those. We had those all going. We had our fans going. We even had irrigation going because the water will give off a little bit of heat in the orchard."

Still, none of those efforts paid off. Not all was lost, however.

"We thought, 'Well, at least we have the tomatoes that'll help us,'" Riley explained. "And then we've kind of had a disaster with those."

What's known as the Beet Curly Top Virus decimated some 40,000 tomato plants. But Riley said about 20,000 survived after re-planting. And several other crops did survive, some even thriving. Riley said the raspberries are looking especially good.

"We'll celebrate any win we can get this year," Riley said.

Riley's farm, which is in part supported by self-picking customers, continues to attract regular patrons, like Cody Hofer of Goshen.

"They've got such a variety," Hofer said. "Anything from the pickling to salsa, the apples, the fruits. They (have) just done a really good job."

Hofer added it's especially important to support farmers during difficult times like this.

"I realize it's tough for them, but that's why I like to come out and support them too," He said. "I tell everybody about it."

That's exactly the kind of support that Riley said farmers all over Utah need right now.

"Just come out and support your local farmers wherever they are, because it's a tough year for all of us," Riley said, adding that recovering from the difficult harvest could take years. "We're probably going to have to kind of carry this for the next few years financially to try and hopefully get back on top of it."

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