Do They Do This I Other Places

Paul Douglass

Member
Messages
4,984
Location
S E Washington State
Woke up this morning to the thumping sound of helicopters hovering. It rained last night, still sprinkling, and the helicopters are hovering over the cherry orchards to blow the rain off the cherries. That has got to really cut into the profits!

Oh, where I live in Washington, there is very little rain. At least 300 days a year of sunshine. I know, a hidden paradise.
 
As I understand it the rain will cause the cherries to split open, which makes them unmarketable.

Correct. Split cherries often don't even make it to the juice plant as they start to spoil really really fast.

They do this a lot more a couple hours West of you as its a bit wetter over here on average. Its really common in the HR valley to do this if there is any rain at all. A few of my brewer friends start making calls to the growers they know in cherry season if there is any rain to pick up a few tons of "waste" cherries they didn't get the choppers on in time to make cherry beer (usually a sour :D).

Darren; practically speaking the Oregon and Washington cherry crop is mostly a drop in the bucket compared to CA so I wouldn't stress prices from this at all :D

When I live in the same area as you, Paul, I remember a cherry orchard I think on Keene between Bombing Range and The 182 (but not positive, its been 7 years) that had some of the dark sweets that aren't normally sold (thinner skins, don't keep as well) that were some of the best cherries I've ever had! Man were those tasty. Its mostly Bings around here which are .. ok .. but nothing like those!
 
I went to school with the guy that put that orchard in. His ex-wife ended up with it and everything else he owned! It's for sell. Probably because where it is sitting the land is worth more than the orchard. Those are suppose to be organic grown cherries.
 
Something similar is done here when it freezes in the winter. The citrus farmers use wind machines to "stir" the air. Big aircraft engine with an 8' prop on a 30' stand...they run all night!
 
Something similar is done here when it freezes in the winter. The citrus farmers use wind machines to "stir" the air. Big aircraft engine with an 8' prop on a 30' stand...they run all night!

Oh, ya we have those also. Try sleeping when they are going on all around you! Guess they don't work good for rain. I hear a few of them going but not a lot. Ours are regulated by temperature, gets towards freezing they automatically come on. Moisture doesn't turn them on so probably to late for them to do any good with rain. Cherries are wet, they blow across the top of the orchard, bud do not blow the wet cherries.
 
We have that happen here. We re surrounded by apple orchards. When they bud and there is frost they bring in the helicopters to keep the air moving. Quit the thing to see at 3 a.m.
 
I went to school with the guy that put that orchard in. His ex-wife ended up with it and everything else he owned! It's for sell. Probably because where it is sitting the land is worth more than the orchard. Those are suppose to be organic grown cherries.

Yeah pretty sure I couldn't afford it, its to close to town now anyways and frankly who wants to run a cherry orchard - man what a rough business! Lucky to make better than break even 1 year in 5 (here at least). Sure were tasty though.

Something similar is done here when it freezes in the winter. The citrus farmers use wind machines to "stir" the air. Big aircraft engine with an 8' prop on a 30' stand...they run all night!

The helicopters over the rained cherries are actually to blow the water off, but they do use them here in emergencies for freeze temps as well on occasion (i.e. its in an orchard that doesn't normally freeze and doesn't have fans installed). It is amazing how much the airflow helps the temperature. You still see a lot of smudge pots around here in older orchards but I don't think they're allowed to be used in most places anymore.
 
Just a somewhat sad follow up; we just had ~3 days of heavy rain here. The local cherry farmers have lost between 30% (for those with early cherries) and 60% (late cherries) of their crop. What a tough business to be in!

Jonathan: that is a LOT of tomatoes!!
 
Top