EMMETT, Idaho — Cherries close to harvest - just like Lance Phillips' crop at Gem Orchards in Emmett - are vulnerable to cold temperatures. Amid a freeze warning through Monday night, Phillips is working around the clock to save his fruit.
"You lose a little sleep. But as farmers, that's what you do," Phillips said. "If we dropped five or six degrees below our critical temperature, we could lose everything. Which would be a years’ worth of income."
At 28 degrees, Phillips expects to lose 10% of his cherries every hour. If the temperature drops to 24 degrees, Phillips expects to 90% of his crops. Phillips, and other orchards, base these estimations on numbers from Washington State University and Michigan State University.
"[It's] devastating for us as farmers and ranchers that are depending on this crop that is set and ready after we've already done 4 months of work getting everything prepped and ready and irrigation on and trees pruned," Phillips said.
To combat the cold temperatures, Phillips uses a combination of smudge pots and wind fans. The pots burn diesel fuel and send out a 15-foot radius of warm air. The wind fans push this warm air through the cherry orchard to stop temperatures from dropping to critical levels.
The pots and fans can only boost the temperatures by 2 or 3 degrees, Phillips said. He's hoping that's all that's needed.
"We're never 100 percent sure," Phillips said. "Always watching, preparing it and making sure everything is fueled up and ready to go. We make sure we get that ready well in advance."
Gem Orchards is one of the main suppliers for the annual Emmett Cherry Festival, according to the Gem County Chamber of Commerce. If the fruit is lost from the freezing temperatures, prices could potentially increase to make up for the lost product, according to Phillips.
One acre of cherries at Gem Orchards is worth between $10,000 and $15,000. Protecting the crop is not only necessary for his livelihood, but for the 8 seasonal employees on his staff, according to Phillips.
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