This was a sweet sight.

Shipping Dock, Trucks Loading, Snow on Sierras, Winter Wheat Cover Crop

Sun is out, rain is gone (for the moment) and even the fog has cleared - which usually means more rain is imminent. There are two things I like about what is shown in these images (besides the snow on the Sierras):

1) The winter wheat (cover crop on our rotated land) looks beautiful and healthy.  Not many days ago this field was completely under water from the record rains and it was not one we had the luxury to pump as the harvest fields had priority.  Our sandy loam really does drain well.

Cover crop of Winter Wheat.  Field was under water a little over a week ago. What a little sun will do!

2) We are loading trucks. As fast as humanly possible.  When you have been growing a crop for 3,2 and 1 years, it is nice to finally get it shipped to pay for the efforts.  We finished harvest Saturday afternoon and got 12 trucks loaded Sunday. Wanted to get 18 out over the weekend but that assumed we finished harvest by Friday night but just did not have enough daylight hours to complete. Now the challenge it to ship 2 weeks worth of shipping in 1 week.  We are hiring another 20-25 people Tueday to boost the efforts.  Loading crews worked to Midnight (don't like all the overtime - but needed their efforts to get more pulled during the daylight hours.).  Will likely do that most of this week (ouch).

The reality is we cannot catch up 2 weeks of shipping in 1 week. Will get close (maybe 1 2/3 weeks worth) but cannot make everyone happy.

Catch 22 - Delimma of Harvesting Time Sensitive Crops

If you read previous blog entries, you know the challenges record setting rain presented half way through harvest.  Ideally we would have waited until the fields dried sufficiently to finish harvest.  The bareroot crop does not have that luxury.  Holding dormancy is not the problem - a few weeks delay would be fine.  Our customers who sell the bareroot trees, have advertising breaking for the weekends, fruit tree clinics and pruning demonstrations already planned - these good people cannot wait.

So we decide to dig.  Our workers put in heroic efforts in very uncomfortable conditions to make it happen. Here are some extreme shots of what the low end of the most difficult field looked like after the digger tracks and 4WD tractors turned it into mud soup.

The turning/low end of the field.  One foreman did not know when he lost a boot. Looks like the pants are in trouble here.

Thankfully where the trees are were not like this.

Mud Bath Anyone? I hear it is good for the complexion.  Low end of field where diggers chew it up turning.

The middle of the fields where the trees were got a little muddy at the surface (not like these extreme shots) and the root section were surprisingly dry.  Damp as desired and dirt still shook off in the digger shakers.  But the top 3-6 inches got pretty sloppy.  Workers got muddy lifting the trees into the trailers and wet from daily rain.  Miserable working conditions.  Trees don't mind.

Where the decision to finish harvest took its toll was in the shrubs and some June Bud fruits where sloppy conditions caused split roots and we dropped counts. Had to trim orders and adjust sizes.  Tough decisions.  Dig with some expected damage or not ship at all?  We dug and now trying to make up time.

Speaking of time - it is after midnight for the 5th night in a row and I need to go get some sleep so I can meet tomorrow's challenges with a smile.

Ron Ludekens 1-10-11 (actually 1-11 now)