Farmers in portions of South Miami-Dade County are taking extra steps ahead of this weekend's expected cold weather, adding it might not be too much of a headache but they are still bracing for chilly temperatures.
Sam Accursio, the president of Accursio Farms, said they are not expecting too much damage at the green bean farm but they are playing it safe by harvesting early and storing the crops.
"I'd rather stick it in the cooler and sell it on Monday versus possibly get some wind damage," he said. "Sometimes if it's too cold and the wind is blowing too hard, you get an airborne freeze and it does a lot of damage. So we figured let's harvest everything we can that's close to maturity."
Accursio said the chances are part of the business.
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“We are used to Mother Nature. We're used to God throwing different curveballs at us with too much rain, not enough rain, too hot, too cold, too windy,” he said.
High temperatures are expected to reach into the 40s and maybe the low 50s this weekend. Accursio said they can take the tumbling temperatures because there are some benefits that come with the chill.
"A little bit of cool weather is always welcome because it slows us down, helps with our plant diseases, helps with our insect pressure," he said.
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Even with this climate curveball, his team at the farm is staying focused on the ground.
"Plant every day until March 1st. And we hope to harvest every day until May 1st. That's our goal," he said.
