Now is a critical time for Chilton County’s peach growers to begin planning for their crop.

The Chilton Area Peach Production meeting on Feb. 2 is intended to help those growers and to educate the public.

The annual meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at the Alabama Power Conference Center, according to a press release from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

The lack of chill hours for the county’s peach trees has reached a critical level, but growers have other issues to be concerned about as well.

Guest speakers Tom Beckman and Andy Nyczepir, both of the USDA Southeast Fruit and Tree Nut Research Lab in Byron, Ga., will discuss management of peach orchard replant issues at the meeting.

Other topics will include updates on fruit research, peach insect research, the Chilton Food Innovation Center and Alabama MarketMaker.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Those interested should call 280-6268 to register so organizers will know how many meals to prepare.

Sponsors include the Chilton County Farmers Federation, Clanton Lions Club and the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.