Old Man Winter has struck with a vengeance here in Southeastern Indiana. This past week has been bitterly cold with ice and snow blanketing the orchards. While the sun shining on the ice covered trees has created a captivating scene, outside work has been put on “hold.”
This inclement weather has, however, given us some extra time to catch up on some much needed maintenance and repair jobs. Crates damaged during the harvest season were repaired and storage areas were reorganized. Ladders were inspected and stored. Oh, yes, we can’t forget about the accounting duties that were “back-burnered” during harvest.
While we were able to start the pruning several weeks ago, it has been a scattered effort dependent on the temperatures. Not really behind schedule yet but not at the point where we had anticipated ourselves to be at this time of the calendar year.
The months of January and February are the usual time table for trade shows and seminars in this area. With limited outside activities on the growers’ agendas there is more time for them to attend and participate in presentations and expositions. Local farm agents and vendors combine their efforts to present new technology and updated educational programs. Besides the business benefits, it is also an excellent opportunity to interact with other growers and get a pulse on the future of the industry.
We will be attending the Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show presented by Purdue University Extension Service in Indianapolis, IN on February 13th through the 15th at Indianapolis Marriott East.