Collier County Farmers assess damages done by recent freezing temps.
Udut, Kenneth -- on Jan. 30 2009, from Golden Gate Estates, Naples, FLFounder of this Naples site of NeighborHelp Referrals.
"Its kinda like a kick in the shin. "
Farmers measure damage
By Tami Osborne, WINK News
Story Created: Jan 30, 2009 at 12:02 AM EST
Story Updated: Jan 30, 2009 at 12:44 AM EST
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - From browning berries to tortured tomatoes to pitiful papaya plants, Jack Frost left his mark on Frank Oakes farm in northern Collier County.
"The cucumber, the zucchini squash, the yellow squash, all of our beans and basil. The tops of our tomatoes were burnt, we lost probably half of the production of them," Frank Oakes says.
He also lost about 20-percent of his strawberries.
Oakes says its been a long time since he's taken a hit like this.
"Six, seven years," he guesses.
Still, he says he's lucky compared to others.
We talked to tomato growers in the area today. Some say they lost a lot, others say they did okay.
Oakes says for the farmer's he's talked to in Collier, it was hit or miss, but to the north not so good.
"I have two friends in Charlotte County that were hit very, very badly," he says.
Oakes says he and his farming friends aren't out of the woods yet. More cold is on the way. Farmer Frank's past experience has him the most worried about the weather late next week.
"If it slows down and coincides with the full moon, I'm real nervous about that one," he says.
As damaging as the cold can be to these crops and farmers financially, Oakes says its all part of life.
"Its kinda like a kick in the shin. It hurts, but if you don't expect something like this to happen to you, you're not a farmer."
Oakes says the freeze won't only affect farmers financially, but also consumers. He says you can expect to see the price of some of these fruits and veggies, especially tomatoes, go up in the next few weeks.
Original Article with Video found at: http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38680587.html
44Story Created: Jan 30, 2009 at 12:02 AM EST
Story Updated: Jan 30, 2009 at 12:44 AM EST
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - From browning berries to tortured tomatoes to pitiful papaya plants, Jack Frost left his mark on Frank Oakes farm in northern Collier County.
"The cucumber, the zucchini squash, the yellow squash, all of our beans and basil. The tops of our tomatoes were burnt, we lost probably half of the production of them," Frank Oakes says.
He also lost about 20-percent of his strawberries.
Oakes says its been a long time since he's taken a hit like this.
"Six, seven years," he guesses.
Still, he says he's lucky compared to others.
We talked to tomato growers in the area today. Some say they lost a lot, others say they did okay.
Oakes says for the farmer's he's talked to in Collier, it was hit or miss, but to the north not so good.
"I have two friends in Charlotte County that were hit very, very badly," he says.
Oakes says he and his farming friends aren't out of the woods yet. More cold is on the way. Farmer Frank's past experience has him the most worried about the weather late next week.
"If it slows down and coincides with the full moon, I'm real nervous about that one," he says.
As damaging as the cold can be to these crops and farmers financially, Oakes says its all part of life.
"Its kinda like a kick in the shin. It hurts, but if you don't expect something like this to happen to you, you're not a farmer."
Oakes says the freeze won't only affect farmers financially, but also consumers. He says you can expect to see the price of some of these fruits and veggies, especially tomatoes, go up in the next few weeks.
Original Article with Video found at: http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38680587.html
1 rate Comments
| Udut, Kenneth from Golden Gate Estates, Naples, FL Associate, 3508 posts |
Our tomato tops were burnt as well. It's good to know that at least my tomato plants have company in Oakes Farm at least. The tomtato plants survived so far, but they're limping along. I wish I could do something simple like pouring a can of beer in it but I don't know what will give them the perk-up they need. - Ken, webmaster and attempting yet again to grow tomatos outdoors. |
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