A West Michigan apple grower says she remains optimistic about this season, even with at least eight frost-risk events so far.
Kim Kropf tells Brownfield field sensors will alert her husband, Kris, every time temperatures dip too low, and a system of prevention efforts kicks into gear.
“Once it gets to that degree, it will call him,” she shares. “Then he’s got to get up to the farm and get the fans started. We run frost fans. We run micro sprinklers under the tree to combat that frost.”
Micro sprinklers irrigate trees at a warmer temperature than the air near their bases, which helps circulate warm air throughout the canopy and protects fruit from damage.
Michigan State University Extension educators say apples across the state are in the later stages of bloom and beginning fruit set. Overnight lows of 28 degrees can cut apple production by about 10 percent. Just three degrees lower can damage an entire orchard.
“We continue to stay optimistic, and it’s really kind of early to see what kind of injury we may have sustained, but we anticipate a nice crop,” she says.
The fourth-generation farmer says the farm thins trees in the winter so any damage can directly affect this year’s production.
Kropf was recently named the chair of the Michigan Apple Committee.
Source - https://www.brownfieldagnews.com
