Wind machines and smoke pots

[Hummer]

Back on the farm outside Palisade to do some work over a few days. It must have dropped below freezing because I was awakened around 1 a.m. this morning by the rumble, the roar and the metallic whir of wind machines starting up. Big fans on 40-80 ft. towers pull warmer air from the atmosphere above to mix with cold air on the ground to protect fruit tree buds from killing frost. Sometimes, depending on conditions, it takes only a 2-3 degree difference to save a crop for the year.

Hundreds of wind machines dot the orchard and vineyard areas. Many of the wind machines are run on propane, others on diesel, and the more sophisticated units monitor conditions and start up automatically. We enjoy an expansive vista from our house on a hill overlooking the Grand Valley. I can see about 40 wind machines from here. Stepping outside, it sounds like we're on a military helipad with dozens of Chinooks preparing to take off. It's at once thrilling, yet eerie, ominous and almost somber as the threat of losing a years crop looms over the valley, over so many lives here.

I see that a neighbor just down the hill is using a dozen smoke pots in his backyard peach plot. You don't see that much anymore. Smoke pots are simple 3-4 ft. tall burners that use kerosene or diesel to warm the air near the ground. Decades ago, smoke pots would light up the whole Grand Valley with an amber glow from Palisade to Fruita. Upon the light of morning a pall of black smoke layered over the valley. Commercial fruit growers stopped using smoke pots about 30 years ago as more and more invested in wind machines.

Our few old apricot trees have begun to blossom over the past few days. Those early blossoms and the fruit they would have produced are surely toast now but there's always hope that the remaining buds will survive to flower and bear fruit. The roar of the wind machines is a ritual harbinger of spring in the Grand Valley, and it stirs my soul.


73937

[Irving]

Are there any machines in that photo?

[CS1983]

One of my great uncles was in the citrus industry in Florida. Man lost 1 million dollars in one night due to a freeze that came through.

[Hummer]

Are there any machines in that photo?

There are dozens in that view area but all are obscured by summer time foliage as the photo was taken in mid to late June. I can't get a photo right now that would show much and don't have a photo editor on my tablet to make one suitable for posting.

[buffalobo]

Back in early 80's when we lived in Delta county(rural Eckert/Cedaredge) dad(along with other growers) would monitor weather/temps very closely once buds started coming on. If it was even close phones would start ringing up and down Surface Creek valley.

Growers would compare readings and notes(temps often varied several degrees depending location in valley or on surrounding mesas) to determine if and when to start frost/freeze mitigation.

Those that had wind machines would get them started up and those without would start smoke/smudge pots and everybody would spend the night monitoring their crops.

We owned a small apple orchard which dad leased to a neighbor. Even though the crop was not his responsibility dad worried, fussed and worked along side the other growers.

I always got stuck monitoring the smudge pots and trees in mom's small back yard orchard. Really sucked when weather was more severe than we could mitigate. But nowhere near as bad as those whose income depended upon those trees.

[Irving]

There are dozens in that view area but all are obscured by summer time foliage as the photo was taken in mid to late June. I can't get a photo right now that would show much and don't have a photo editor on my tablet to make one suitable for posting.

I was just curious. No need to go out of your way. i can do an internet search if I need. :)

[Hummer]

One of my great uncles was in the citrus industry in Florida. Man lost 1 million dollars in one night due to a freeze that came through.

Yes, farming is a little like gambling, you can win big or lose big. When I was a young orchardist preparing to harvest a first bumper crop of apples, a hail storm moved through the valley. Like a forest fire or a tornado on the plains, the hail cut swaths and fingers of destruction shredding fruit and foliage wherever it hit. We lost 80% of our orchard crop in fifteen minutes. It was devastating.

[Irving]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smudge_pot


In 1907, a young inventor, W. C. Scheu, at that time in Grand Junction, Colorado, developed an oil-burning stack heater that was more effective than open fires in heating orchards and vineyards.[2] In 1911, he opened Scheu Manufacturing Company in Upland, California, and began producing a line of orchard heaters.[3] (The firm still exists in 2018.)[4] The use of smudge pots became widespread after a disastrous freeze in Southern California, January 4-8, 1913, wiped out a whole crop.[5] [6]

[buffalobo]

Yes, farming is a little like gambling, you can win big or lose big. When I was a young orchardist preparing to harvest a first bumper crop of apples, a hail storm moved through the valley. Like a forest fire or a tornado on the plains, the hail cut swaths and fingers of destruction shredding fruit and foliage wherever it hit. We lost 80% of our orchard crop in fifteen minutes. It was devastating.

Dad always said that was why he never followed his dad into farming. Couple freezes, snow storms, hail storms in a row could send a guy to the poor house.

[Hummer]

Dad always said that was why he never followed his dad into farming. Couple freezes, snow storms, hail storms in a row could send a guy to the poor house.


That early experience of losing our crop to hail got me investigating the use of hail cannons. Hail cannons are like big chimney stacks that would fire a high explosive blast of propane gas into the clouds to disrupt the formation of hailstones in the atmosphere. Like little sonic booms fired every 1-10 seconds. It wouldn't have justified the investment here because in 25 years of fruit growing we only had two significant losses from hail.

[68Charger]

Dad always said that was why he never followed his dad into farming. Couple freezes, snow storms, hail storms in a row could send a guy to the poor house.

They have insurance for it... but that means your best year is only mediocre- the insurance can be very expensive. Wife is a beneficiary to a trust that owns a number of farms in Nebraska... they buy the insurance- and some years the insurance payment is more than what they profit on the farm (in other words, over half the profit went to insurance).. I think i'd be less risk adverse when the cost is so high. Some years, the only yield on some farms is the payout from the insurance.

[buffalobo]

Most of the the weather was close call and all turned out ok but everybody still had to monitor and go thru the motions just in case. As you pointed out, just a few degrees or slight change in wind often made the difference.

[buffalobo]

Crop insurance programs back in the 50's when dad chose not to become farmer were not really viable and much more expensive. Most farmers did not participate and were still exposed to the risks of nature.

In early 80's .gov changed program with greater subsidies to make it more viable and increase participation.

Only one branch or our family still farms full time and could not do so profitably if not for crop subsidies and subsidized insurance.

[TheGrey]

I can't imagine having an entire orchard at the mercy of the capricious weather in March. I fret and fuss over our trees (peach, honeycrisp apple, and a stick that is meat to be a Northstar cherry)- I hope your trees weather the Spring storms and produce bumper crops!

[Hummer]

Crop insurance programs back in the 50's when dad chose not to become farmer were not really viable and much more expensive. Most farmers did not participate and were still exposed to the risks of nature.

In early 80's .gov changed program with greater subsidies to make it more viable and increase participation.

Only one branch or our family still farms full time and could not do so profitably if not for crop subsidies and subsidized insurance.



I've wondered if you were actively farming; it seems that sod farms are big around Hoyt. It's interesting to hear about your background around Delta/Cedaredge. Before I began making wines we would buy wine by the case from Surface Creek. Over the years since I've regularly bought grapes from a vineyard on Cedar Mesa to make some outstanding Gewurztraminer.

We had federal crop insurance but didn't buy private. It didn't pay much but it would usually cover our chemical bill for the year.

[Hummer]

I can't imagine having an entire orchard at the mercy of the capricious weather in March. I fret and fuss over our trees (peach, honeycrisp apple, and a stick that is meat to be a Northstar cherry)- I hope your trees weather the Spring storms and produce bumper crops!

Thank you, Grey. We're down to a few apricot and peach trees now as I just finished removing the last of our orchards. To reinvest in peach orchard would cost ~$45K/acre with a return in 7-8 years. I instead I'll invest in retirement travel and property improvements. We'll lease the land to a neighbor for hay production. Easier on the old back.

Good luck with your fruit trees, and don't forget to spray the apples on schedule every 12-14 days to control coddling moth apple worms. [GasM]

[D_F]

The only crops of any interest here in the uncompahgre valley are pot and hemp. Plus looking like they will start at 60% water. It's going to be a wild year.

[Hummer]

The only crops of any interest here in the uncompahgre valley are pot and hemp. Plus looking like they will start at 60% water. It's going to be a wild year.


It'll be a lean year waterwise, if we don't get more snow. Two of my adjacent neighbors are growing hemp, one for seed, the other for CBD oil. I think their hemp growing careers will be short as very soon the big farms on the eastern plains go into production and plunge profit margins for smaller growers. But who knows?

I chose not to contract with a neighbor hemp farmer because of the potential legal risks. People wait and watch as Washington sits.

[hurley842002]

Off topic, but God I love your part of the state Hummer, it's beautiful out there.

[Hummer]

Off topic, but God I love your part of the state Hummer, it's beautiful out there.

We do too, mostly the culture of freedom, more land and less crowding. We plan to move back here when my wife retires from the DA's office in a few years. The Grand Valley has just about everything....

[hurley842002]

We do too, mostly the culture of freedom, more land and less crowding. We plan to move back here when my wife retires from the DA's office in a few years. The Grand Valley has just about everything....

Yeah, if there were a Job opportunity for me out there, I'd jump on it, we enjoy our stays in GJ on our way to Commiefornia every year, still been meaning to take the boys to that Dinosaur museum on your way out of town, but never seem to fit it in the schedule.

[Gman]

I remember the smudge pots and wind machines when I was growing up in Orange County, CA. You know, back when they grew oranges there circa 1970. Some crops are protected by sprinkler systems that envelop the vegetation in a sheath of ice protecting it from dropping way below freezing.

[hollohas]

I had no idea about some of this stuff. Thanks for the post OP. Pretty darn cool.

[Irving]

Agreed. I did into the hail cannons a bit and they are like turn of the century chemtrail machines. Same with cloud busters.

[buffalobo]

I've wondered if you were actively farming; it seems that sod farms are big around Hoyt. It's interesting to hear about your background around Delta/Cedaredge. Before I began making wines we would buy wine by the case from Surface Creek. Over the years since I've regularly bought grapes from a vineyard on Cedar Mesa to make some outstanding Gewurztraminer.

We had federal crop insurance but didn't buy private. It didn't pay much but it would usually cover our chemical bill for the year.We are working toward a small beef/bison operation. We refuse to go into debt for it so very slow developing.

Just natural that folks grow fruit and make wine. There were always a few grape growers and vineyards but it really boomed shortly after I left for school. Some great wines made there now. Will always remember the homemade wines, juices, ciders. Apple festival always produced great food and drink.

Our families probably passed each other in our travels. We had friends in Palisade and my sister dated a boy from there for a while. My folks had a place right along Hwy 65 between Eckert and Cedaredge after I graduated H.S. circa 85.

[D_F]

It'll be a lean year waterwise, if we don't get more snow. Two of my adjacent neighbors are growing hemp, one for seed, the other for CBD oil. I think their hemp growing careers will be short as very soon the big farms on the eastern plains go into production and plunge profit margins for smaller growers. But who knows?

I chose not to contract with a neighbor hemp farmer because of the potential legal risks. People wait and watch as Washington sits.

Transportation is our Achilles heel in this part of the world. And if it weren't for the sweet corn I'd be jobless long ago.

I worked on some frost control for avocado trees sometime in the late 90's in the Salinas Valley of CA. One of the longer nights I can remember. :P

[Hummer]

Transportation is our Achilles heel in this part of the world. And if it weren't for the sweet corn I'd be jobless long ago.

I worked on some frost control for avocado trees sometime in the late 90's in the Salinas Valley of CA. One of the longer nights I can remember. :P

Same with selling fruit outside the Grand Valley now, growers don't ship via railroad anymore. I could never fill a whole tractor trailer to a single buyer in eastern CO, so had to ship LTL which was more costly and problematic. The big distribution houses have always been crooks supported by USDA rules. An old friend and fellow birder is an agronomist who developed the Olathe sweet corn strain. I think he probably did OK.

I had an uncle, a geologist engineer/scientist for Rockwell who had an avocado orchard in Orange County. He specialized in grafting and growing exotic shrub, vine and tree fruits and had a successful small farm business for 25 years after retirement.

[theGinsue]

Hummer, thank you for this thread - I found the information enlightening and educational. What struck me the most was how well written it is. You painted a picture with your works and made me want to keep reading. You've got talent brother.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Like.

[D_F]

Is your birder friend Dave G.? Darn smart fellow. Hope he did ok and that his health is good now. Small world, thanks for the thread.

[Hummer]

Is your birder friend Dave G.? Darn smart fellow. Hope he did ok and that his health is good now. Small world, thanks for the thread.


Yes, I first met David at an ornithology convention in GJ in 1984. He spent many years traveling throughout South America teaching agriculture and marketing his genetic strains. I haven't heard from him in a few years.

[Hummer]

I have met (one of Hummer's birder friends) but can't place his name. (I know him/his face well, chatted quite a bit) Seems like it might be Dave but might be off. He normally does the bird count for the autubon at my place of work... but was strangely absent around christmas in the first time in forever. If two and two are the same someone give me a heads up.

I believe you're thinking of Mark V. He's a fine and impressive fellow who grew up in the mountains of Boulder County near where I did. He is a longtime GJ contractor and helped me obtain materials to insulate and rebuild my cabin roof off the Peak to Peak last fall. I hope to see him tomorrow evening.

[mjzman]

So you have already had some bloom! Amazing to me how climatically diverse Colorado is. I am a little east of Colorado Springs and it is probably more than a month yet before bud break on my handful of fruit treees. Night time temperatures still in the teens. I have been here only six years from the midwest where I grew some wine grapes and fruit trees. There, bloom was at pretty much the same time for 600 miles around. Colorado is so different.

[Brian]

Thank you, Grey. We're down to a few apricot and peach trees now as I just finished removing the last of our orchards.


Glad we had a chance to see the orchard before it was gone. My daughter still talks about how much fun it was, even with just the short time we were there.

As for the "wind machines" - I had no idea. I've seen a few (I think) and thought they were just odd-looking windmills or cheap wind turbines.

[Hummer]

Hummer, thank you for this thread - I found the information enlightening and educational. What struck me the most was how well written it is. You painted a picture with your works and made me want to keep reading. You've got talent brother.


Thanks, Ginsue. The night time rumble and roar of the wind machines around the valley really is an awesome experience which inspired me to write. Most people visit the area during peach harvest or for the winefest in September so they aren't aware of the massive effort to counter the spring frosts.



Ask him what happened to the bird count! Nobody this year on the dike road (Gunnison), unusual. No contact even.

I haven't been able to connect with him, they may be traveling. The count was conducted as always but I don't know whether that area was covered during the Christmas Count. I think they concentrate on the cemetery which is rich with roosting owls.



So you have already had some bloom! Amazing to me how climatically diverse Colorado is. I am a little east of Colorado Springs and it is probably more than a month yet before bud break on my handful of fruit treees. Night time temperatures still in the teens. I have been here only six years from the midwest where I grew some wine grapes and fruit trees. There, bloom was at pretty much the same time for 600 miles around. Colorado is so different.

Yes, many apricots are in full bloom here, ours are usually a bit behind. It can be due to the variety and/or the micro climate of one farm vs. another. We get a crop of apricots only about every 3-4 years due to late spring frosts. Peaches will bloom next, then pears and apples.



Glad we had a chance to see the orchard before it was gone. My daughter still talks about how much fun it was, even with just the short time we were there.

As for the "wind machines" - I had no idea. I've seen a few (I think) and thought they were just odd-looking windmills or cheap wind turbines.


I'm glad you got to visit. It's sad to see the trees gone. Every block and row of trees was a little different. Every tree had a number and I kept detailed data on exactly where and on what branch various banded birds nested from year to year, and from their first to second and sometimes third broods in a single season.

I've kept a few 75 yr. old apricot trees but the field is ready to rip, plow, disk and land plane to plant grass, alfalfa and oats. We'll sell in a few years and let the next owners decide whether to invest in orchard or vineyard, or keep it in hay.

73966

https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?attachmentid=73966&d=1521754481

[Hummer]

Bringing back this thread in part to illustrate that life goes on in flyover country despite the seemingly dark situation weighing on our nation. This morning at 2 a.m., the wind machines roared to life again around the Grand Valley to protect the fruits of farmers labor. Much of the apricot buds froze earlier but the peach crop is still safe. Tomorrow with be a critical test with the temp predicted to drop to 22 degrees.

I was planning to prune my few remaining peach trees today but will hold off to see how many buds survive.

[BladesNBarrels]

Record low this morning in Metro Denver.
Some of the trees had just begun blooming, the bugs were hatching, the squirrels and birds were mating.
I guess they can't read the calendar. Not yet, grasshopper.

[hurley842002]

Record low this morning in Metro Denver.
Some of the trees had just begun blooming, the bugs were hatching, the squirrels and birds were mating.
I guess they can't read the calendar. Not yet, grasshopper.Absolutely will not miss that crap!

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[D_F]

Good luck to all the Grand Valley farmers. We missed getting a pump drained last night and had a leak this morning.

[whitewalrus]

Record low this morning in Metro Denver.
Some of the trees had just begun blooming, the bugs were hatching, the squirrels and birds were mating.
I guess they can't read the calendar. Not yet, grasshopper.

We can hope that it helps kill off the amount of wasps/hornets that seem to have become so popular lately.

[Gman]

Yeah, this is a pretty cold stretch. I guess we have to pay for the 70+ and sunny weather we were having. I hope this freeze nips the fruit on my neighbors cottonwoods and willow.

I also hope the fruit crops on the western slope will be OK.

[Hummer]

Good luck to all the Grand Valley farmers. We missed getting a pump drained last night and had a leak this morning.


You made me check my pump this morning. I've been irrigating a dry land shelter belt with a 3 horse pump. It got to about 30 but not cold enough for long enough to do damage. But I've got the pump and cooler lines drained for tonight. Are you in farming, D_F?

[D_F]

I grew up on a bit of a farm/ranch here around Olathe, never made a living off it. Family business is agricultural support type affair. I jokingly say it takes a special kind of dumb to try to make a living off of farmers. But in reality it's been a pretty good run and I enjoy doing what I do. How did things fair down that way?

[Hummer]

Small world it is. I bought ag chemicals from an Olathe business for a few decades and the John Deere came from Delta Implement.

I talked with a neighbor who grows peaches and was planting more trees yesterday. Most of his apricots were lost three weeks ago. Even running his wind machines he thinks the bulk of peach blossoms are toast. Some on high ground or in the tree tops will survive. Front page news in the Daily Sentinel this morning covers the initial assessments of frost damage to the peach crop:

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/the-potential-impact-of-the-freeze-on-the-peach-crop-it-will-be-bad/article_037076b2-7e6c-11ea-a7ae-1357bbfa910d.html

This is a dramatic shift from last years unusual glut of peaches which caused some farmers to not harvest or dump thousands of pounds of fruit.

[Hummer]

The only crops of any interest here in the uncompahgre valley are pot and hemp. Plus looking like they will start at 60% water. It's going to be a wild year.


My next door neighbor was a Colorado pioneer in hemp and seed production for CBD oil. Last fall he got all of his crop harvested, dried and sealed but only today was able to get it fully sold and shipped. Apparently the majority of hemp growers here failed to find buyers and failed to harvest their crop. A lot of money was lost. My neighbor built greenhouses for hemp but this year he's starting tomatoes and plans to grow vegetables anticipating a greater demand for food this year.

[D_F]

Small world indeed!

Agriculture is such a wild ride sometimes. Hemp was pretty much a bust here last year too. I think veggies might be a good bet this year. Hope so. Have friends with a small dairy near orchard city. Milk is getting hammered as well. Won't take too many more dairy's to go under and then we will have a crisis there too. Then there is the sweet corn labor questions. Time to buckle the seat belt and hold on tight.

https://www.montrosepress.com/news/hemp-boom-thrown-into-question/article_f0f54736-7f6c-11ea-bd76-2ba863e715a7.html

[colorider]

My next door neighbor was a Colorado pioneer in hemp and seed production for CBD oil. Last fall he got all of his crop harvested, dried and sealed but only today was able to get it fully sold and shipped. Apparently the majority of hemp growers here failed to find buyers and failed to harvest their crop. A lot of money was lost. My neighbor built greenhouses for hemp but this year he's starting tomatoes and plans to grow vegetables anticipating a greater demand for food this year.

Interesting about the vegetables. Farmers are plowing under their veg crops due to low demand. No restaurants are open to use veggies and people are buying less and less. They are buying canned goods.