Orchard gets ready to fight frost

DE PERE - With frost and freeze warnings in the local forecasts, fruit trees like cherries and apples are in danger. So we went to an area orchard to find out how they're preparing for the worst.

Jerry Van Elzen owns Apple Valley Orchard in De Pere. The cold had him up at 2 a.m.

"If these little buds freeze, we won't be producing any apples," said Van Elzen.

"These little buds" are here early thanks to the warmest March on record in Northeast Wisconsin.

"As far as the trees are concerned, its six weeks further into the season. So we're that far ahead of schedule," said Kevin Jarek with the University of Wisconsin Extension in Outagamie County. He says at this point, the buds are very vulnerable to frost.

"Now that we're this far along a frost of 28 degrees could mean as much as a ten percent loss, 24 degrees, a 90 percent loss," said Jarek.

That's the reason Van Elzen is up before dawn these days. He's checking the thermometers early and often.

"You've gotta watch them every hour," said Van Elzen.

And if the mercury hits a dangerous level, Van Elzen has a plan. He has 120 burn barrels set up in the orchard.

"Fill them with wood, put a little waste oil in them to get them going," said Van Elzen.

Once the temperature on the trees drops to 28 degrees, they'll light the barrels. The hope is to get the smoke to rise up over the orchard, making a blanket, raising the overall temperature.

"Usually when it gets still, it gets cold, no wind and she'll get cold and then we can get that smoke to just hover over the orchard," said Van Elzen.

This isn't easy, but Van Elzen says it's necessary for his livelihood. The trees hold $120,000 worth of fruit.

"You've got 3,000 trees, that's a lot of apples to try to protect, but I guess if we have to do it, we have to do it," said Van Elzen.

Making sure Mother Nature doesn't give Apple Valley the cold shoulder.

Van Elzen says even though the weather is dry now, the burn barrels are safe on his property. He says the trees are well-watered and too green to be in serious fire danger.