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This Week on the Farm
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Thursday April 24th, 2003
Spring Chores
Spring has been slow and we've had some very cold nights. John hauled the wind machines, a huge fan run by a truck engine (the engine from our very first truck is being used in one of them) out to the low spots in the orchard. The other day, around 4:30am when the temperature was 23 degrees, he turned on the wind machines and let them run until 7:30am. Clear cold nights can create a temperature inversion when the earth and trees radiate away their heat. By running the machines, we pull down warmer air and minimize the build up of cold air. It only works if there is no wind and the overall air temperature is above freezing. I don't really support this because someone has to stay up all night and it costs us a day of work the next day. However, it really appeals to John who loves anything mechanical, he likes the roar of the engine. (I also think he likes to think he is smarter than mother nature!) We're keeping busy trimming and planting replacement trees right now. We've also been remodeling a few things at the US 31 market. (Jim is getting to be an expert on our large pay loader with the remodeling and removing old trees.) Tart Cherry Juice concentrate is still available as are dried tart cherries.
We'll keep you posted, Betsy King
Jim and John with wind machine running
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