The last time Erie News Now visited Burch Farms, Tim Burch was preparing for a freeze warning.

"We have a couple more sleepless nights. We're going to watch the temperatures, see what happens,” Burch said back in April.

Burch expected much of his fruit farm to be damaged by the cold weather. Nearly two weeks later, his fears became reality. "We know from passed experience, the crop has been diminished some. There is no potential for a full crop,”

At Burch Farms, they estimate about 50-75% of the apple crop is already dead. Meaning this summer, orchard trees will have little to no fruit.

The loss is devastating. Burch says, ultimately, the record breaking temperatures in April are to blame for the damage.  "We go back to April, we all enjoyed those 75 to 80 degree temperatures, But the fruit buds just pushed out so early and with the cold weather we've had, it's been devastating at this point,” said Burch.

Not just in Erie County but all over the United States, a fruit shortage is expected-- likely driving prices of fruit products up.

Only time can tell how much the increase could be. "We're hoping to toe the line on prices, but we're not going to know yet just how short the crops will be,” Burch told Erie News Now.

For now, they’re staying optimistic, hoping for warmer weather and good growing conditions. "Right now, we're hoping we're going to end up with about 50% of a crop of what we're used to. To have something is better than nothing. That's the attitude of a farmer."