Gothamist⁠77%

Rotten news: New Jersey's beloved peach crop devastated by April cold snap ⁠70%

By Walter Wuthmann⁠0%

5/14/2026, 10:31:03 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Optimism Bias, and Pessimism Bias, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 20.1% saturation with 130 hits. Analysis detected 1,033 faulty-reasoning hits from 648 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 63.1% and a BS Rank of ⁠70% (6,568 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 70.00% of the article peer group.

Well, isn’t that just peachy? 
New Jersey farmers and agriculture officials are despondent this spring, saying last month’s historic warming and freezing cycle devastated much of the Garden State’s iconic peach crop. 
The stone fruits, known for their sweet taste and yellow flesh, are a summertime staple at markets throughout the area. 
“This is a big, big loss to the region,” said Kurt Alstede, owner and general manager of Alstede Farms in Chester, New Jersey. 
“ In 45 years in the industry, I have never seen an event that was as broad geographically, as widespread, and as indiscriminate as this.” 
The losses have farmers wondering how they’ll get through the peak summer season and calling for financial relief from the state. 
New Jersey is the fourth-largest producer of peaches in the country and the juicy orbs are a major tourism draw. 
New Jersey peaches are mainly sold along the East Coast and in Canada. 
That means they’re “picked at the peak of freshness when they don’t have to travel 3,000 miles,” Alstede said. 
“And in that final stage of ripening, the flavor profile really, really matures.” 
A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said they’re still calculating the full extent of the crop damage, and plan to release an assessment later this month. 
Temperatures across North Jersey and New York climbed into the 80s and 90s in mid-April — more than 20 degrees above average. 
A dip in the jet stream then brought a mass of cold air the night of April 20, plunging temperatures well below freezing and shocking the Garden State’s gardens. 
“This was extreme,” New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson said in an interview. 
“We're talking a 70-degree change in temperature.” 
Alstede said those few days of warming led to “explosive” new growth on his farm. 
“Then boom, that real cold temperature, and things were especially vulnerable.” 
Alstede said he and his team worked through the night to try to save as much of the young crop as possible. 
They lit hundreds of frost candles – 5-gallon buckets full of kerosene – to heat the area around the trees and help circulate the heavy cold air. 
They also used tractors to drag “frost dragons” — propane-powered engines that blow warm air — through the orchard. 
Alstede estimates he still lost about a quarter of his peach crop, as well as some of his strawberries and blueberries. 
“Everything experienced some damage. 
It’s incredible,” he said. 
Others appear to have suffered worse. 
“A lot of the peach farms down near me were filled with flowers,” said Lewis DePietro of Cherry Lane Farms in Bridgeton, who sells strawberries at the farmer’s market in Union Square. 
“Now I drive by and see the trees and I don’t see any peaches, barely.” 
Allen Carter, president of the nonprofit New Jersey Farm Bureau, said some peach farmers have reported losing half their crop. 
He wants the state to step in to provide disaster assistance funding. 
“It’s going to be a really rough year for farmers between the frost, the fuel, labor, and insurance,” Carter said. 
“The majority of farmers don't want handouts. 
They just want to be able to grow their crops,” he added. 
“But when Mother Nature speaks, not much they can do.” 
“Once assessments are complete, we will move quickly to connect farmers with critical support, including crop insurance and other available state and federal resources,” New Jersey Department of Agriculture spokesperson Bella Walz wrote in a statement. 
In the meantime, Alstede said he wants people to know there will still be New Jersey peaches this summer. 
“It’s going to run out maybe a little bit sooner, but still plan that trip with your family,” he said. 
“More than ever, growers need to sell what they have.” 
Michael Sol Warren contributed reporting to this story. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 7.3%Walter Wuthmann: 2.0%Gothamist: 2.7%Confirmation Bias7.3%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 1.3%Gothamist: 1.5%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 5.9%Walter Wuthmann: 3.5%Gothamist: 3.6%Availability Heuristic5.9%This article: 4.0%Walter Wuthmann: 1.8%Gothamist: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic4.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.5%Gothamist: 0.7%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 7.1%Walter Wuthmann: 1.7%Gothamist: 1.2%Overconfidence Bias7.1%This article: 4.9%Walter Wuthmann: 7.1%Gothamist: 8.4%Framing Effect4.9%This article: 10.2%Walter Wuthmann: 1.1%Gothamist: 1.2%Loss Aversion10.2%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 1.0%Gothamist: 1.1%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.3%Gothamist: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 13.6%Walter Wuthmann: 3.9%Gothamist: 3.6%Optimism Bias13.6%This article: 11.4%Walter Wuthmann: 1.2%Gothamist: 1.7%Pessimism Bias11.4%This article: 17.1%Walter Wuthmann: 4.8%Gothamist: 8.5%Negativity Bias17.1%This article: 3.7%Walter Wuthmann: 1.7%Gothamist: 2.6%Self-Serving Bias3.7%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.9%Gothamist: 1.0%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.1%Gothamist: 0.3%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 1.7%Gothamist: 2.1%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.4%Gothamist: 0.6%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 3.1%Walter Wuthmann: 3.2%Gothamist: 2.1%Halo Effect3.1%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.1%Gothamist: 0.2%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.5%Gothamist: 1.3%Recency Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.2%Gothamist: 0.4%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.4%Gothamist: 1.0%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.2%Gothamist: 0.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 11.4%Walter Wuthmann: 3.1%Gothamist: 4.4%Appeal to Authority11.4%This article: 1.5%Walter Wuthmann: 1.2%Gothamist: 1.2%False Dilemma1.5%This article: 3.1%Walter Wuthmann: 0.9%Gothamist: 0.8%Slippery Slope3.1%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.1%Gothamist: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 5.7%Walter Wuthmann: 3.8%Gothamist: 3.8%Hasty Generalization5.7%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.2%Gothamist: 0.3%Red Herring0.0%This article: 1.1%Walter Wuthmann: 1.3%Gothamist: 0.8%Bandwagon1.1%This article: 9.1%Walter Wuthmann: 4.5%Gothamist: 6.4%Appeal to Emotion9.1%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.7%Gothamist: 0.7%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 8.5%Walter Wuthmann: 2.3%Gothamist: 2.4%Post Hoc (False Cause)8.5%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.1%Gothamist: 0.1%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 1.9%Walter Wuthmann: 0.3%Gothamist: 0.4%Burden of Proof1.9%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.4%Gothamist: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.3%Gothamist: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 7.3%Walter Wuthmann: 2.5%Gothamist: 2.8%Anecdotal7.3%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.5%Gothamist: 1.3%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.2%Gothamist: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.0%Gothamist: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.1%Gothamist: 0.2%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.9%Gothamist: 1.2%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.3%Gothamist: 1.0%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 20.1%Walter Wuthmann: 4.3%Gothamist: 3.2%Biased Writer Voice20.1%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.7%Gothamist: 1.5%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 1.0%Gothamist: 1.0%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Walter Wuthmann: 0.3%Gothamist: 0.2%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 1.5%Walter Wuthmann: 1.2%Gothamist: 1.0%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…1.5%

648 words analyzed.

Speakers

6speakers65%attributed speech229writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 23 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 25 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 19 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 13 words • 0.0% coverageNew Jersey Department of Agriculture • 29 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 29 words • 0.0% coverageDavid Robinson • 13 words • 0.0% coverageDavid Robinson • 7 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 15 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 11 words • 100.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 22 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 100.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 21 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 4 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageLewis DePietro • 32 words • 0.0% coverageLewis DePietro • 15 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 20 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 12 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 20 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 7 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 12 words • 0.0% coverageAllen Carter • 10 words • 0.0% coverageBella Walz • 36 words • 100.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 19 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 20 words • 0.0% coverageKurt Alstede • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

Bella Walz

100%flagged-word coverage
36 attributed words8.6% of attributed speech69% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Biased Writer Voice+63.8 ptsWriter: 36.2%Bella Walz: 100.0%100.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.