Helicopters last line of defense for farmers
Source: Agencies |
December 15, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DOZENS of helicopters are whirring above Florida's valuable and sensitive vegetable crops, an unusual approach by farmers worried that an uncommon freeze could wipe out their harvest.
The choppers hover low over green bean and sweet corn fields, moving back and forth in the early morning hours to push warmer air closer to the plants and, the farmers hope, save the plants from a deadly frost.
Farmers are especially nervous because an 11-day freeze in January wiped out many crops, from corn to kumquats. Florida is the largest winter producer of sweet corn in the United States.
John Hundley, a corn, bean and sugar cane farmer, said that if winds were too high, as forecast, he wouldn't be able to hire the helicopters.
Asked what he would do to protect his crops then, he sighed. "I can get on my knees and pray right now," he said. "It looks like it's pretty much out of our hands."
The stakes are high. In 2009, the value of sweet corn from Florida was US$227 million.
The helicopters may be the last line of defense if temperatures dip below freezing, though it's expensive - about US$2,500 an hour.
The choppers hover low over green bean and sweet corn fields, moving back and forth in the early morning hours to push warmer air closer to the plants and, the farmers hope, save the plants from a deadly frost.
Farmers are especially nervous because an 11-day freeze in January wiped out many crops, from corn to kumquats. Florida is the largest winter producer of sweet corn in the United States.
John Hundley, a corn, bean and sugar cane farmer, said that if winds were too high, as forecast, he wouldn't be able to hire the helicopters.
Asked what he would do to protect his crops then, he sighed. "I can get on my knees and pray right now," he said. "It looks like it's pretty much out of our hands."
The stakes are high. In 2009, the value of sweet corn from Florida was US$227 million.
The helicopters may be the last line of defense if temperatures dip below freezing, though it's expensive - about US$2,500 an hour.
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