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SUNNY Temp: 64 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 8, 2003 Luis Balero checks an Associated Fruit orchard of red crimson pears damaged by Wednesday�s thunderstorm. Some plots along Vilas Road were a total loss and good only for their juice. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell A stormy beginning toPEAR HARVEST By GREG STILES Mail Tribune As moist air clung to the valley floor, Luis Balero made his rounds Thursday morning, surveying pear orchard blocks following Wednesday’s thunderstorms. What the Associated Fruit orchard superintendent found along Vilas Road wasn’t to his liking on the eve of harvest. "This one here has six or seven big punches," Balero said, examining a red crimson variety. "The fruit is 100 percent damaged along Vilas; It’s not going to be good for anything but juice." Some orchard blocks were due to begin harvest Thursday and today before the storm hit, said Scott Martinez, Associated Fruit’s sales operations manager. Now, the picking will wait until next week. Advertisement The good news for Associated Fruit, and most other pear growers, is that orchards are spread throughout the Bear Creek drainage — and beyond. As a result, chances are the hail from a single afternoon thunderstorm can’t jeopardize the whole operation. "We definitely felt like we dodged a bullet, that’s for sure," Martinez said. "I was really happy with what I saw this morning — we have considerable blocks out by Jacksonville and we had no damage there. By far, the worst part was a swath from Delta Waters to Eagle Point and a quarter-mile strip of hail did most of the damage. "The economic value, compared to our overall crop, is nil." High-profile Bear Creek Corp. has 2,200 acres of pear and peach trees. It’s in the midst of peach harvest and anticipates its three-week Comice harvest to begin the last week of August. "We were fortunate in that the storm cell diffused quickly across the valley," said Ron Henri, Bear Creek Corp.’s senior vice president for agricultural operations. Only two Bear Creek orchards suffered heavy hail impact, while a few others received slight hail mixed with heavy rains. "Our first estimates indicate that perhaps 3 to 5 percent of our pear crop was damaged by hail," Henri said. "What portion of that will be salvageable in commercial packable grades is yet to be seen. In the context of a full and high-quality crop, we feel lucky that the damage was not more severe." Sue Naumes of Naumes Inc., with large plantings in three states, said there were two blocks near Vilas Road, totaling 180 acres with a half-dozen or more varieties, where 30 to 40 percent of the fruit was damaged. "You get a couple of orchards with that kind of damage and it pretty much rivals the damage of the (1997) Ashland flood," Naumes said. Tim Pearson, quality control manager for Southern Oregon Sales, said of his 30-grower co-operative’s 1,000 acres, less than 5 percent were damaged. However, there was one 50-acre block that appeared to absorb a big hit. "If you’re one grower with only 50 acres, that’s pretty significant," Pearson said. "But even if one orchard is as bad as I’ve heard, it still only represents 5 percent of our total production." He said the hail that came through the valley last April scarred and damaged fruit. Sometimes the fruit grows out of the damage, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case this season. "Hail this time of the year certainly can be the most devastating," Pearson said. Even damaged fruit has to be picked, Associated’s Balero said. "Even though there’s no money in those pears any more, you have to pick the fruit," Balero said. "Otherwise, the trees won’t bud out next year." Associated’s orchard staff will more than triple to 250 in the next few days as it harvests 16 pear varieties on 1,742 acres. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] Vineyards escape damage By GREG STILES Mail Tribune While pear growers scurried about Wednesday night and Thursday morning to assess damage from Wednesday’s thunderstorms, the areas growing collection of wine grape growers breathed a sigh of relief. "We got a little bit of hail, but nothing created a problem," said Traute Moore of Quail Run Vineyard in Talent. "The rain was welcome; everything looks fine." The vineyard is drip irrigated, so the three-quarters of an inch of rain will undoubtedly produce weeds between the vines, she said. "I don’t think it hurt anything though," she said. "It’s probably a good idea to get the dust off the grapes. About the only thing we’ll have to do is adjust our irrigation." Well, almost. Moore and her husband, Don, have cultivated grapes for 13 years and have seen the area’s plantings grow from 300 acres to 1,500 acres. They know even the best-laid plans can go astray. "We didn’t want to spray sulfur (a fungicide) during the terrifically hot spell," Moore said. "Then as soon as we sprayed 150 acres, it rained and that was all kind of for naught. Now we’re starting again." Eric Weisinger of Weisinger’s Vineyard and Winery outside Ashland said the hot, dry July weather was perfect for his grapes after a wet spring. "Hail becomes an issue when it gets to the size of a pea," Weisinger said. "If it’s smaller, it’s not usually a concern — unless there’s high concentrations of hail and rain." Further north in the Bear Creek drainage, hail was much larger than peas. Weisinger got on the phone right after breakfast Thursday to find out if other growers had been hurt. To his pleasure, there were no reports of appreciable damage. "Hail has potential to devastate a vineyard by ripping or tearing through the clusters," Weisinger said. "As soon as the skin is opened, the grape is lost, and so is the cluster. The juice is exposed and air-borne yeast is everywhere — the grapes will ferment right on the vine." Grapes, he said, are essentially as large as they’re going to get. Within three weeks, red grapes will start to change color as harvest nears. At Paschal Winery & Vineyard near Talent, manager Rene Dobbs said there was plenty of rain, thunder and lightning. "But I didn’t see hail," she said. "The rain drops were so large, I thought it was hail. The drops were the size of bullets." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Pear-pickers needed for harvest time Bear Creek Corp. is launching its annual hiring campaign. Approximately 450 pear-picking positions will be available beginning the last week of August. "We are inviting everyone who worked with us last year to return," says Anne Bruce, employment manager. Bear Creek is looking for pickers to harvest more than 12,000 tons of Comice and Bosc pears. The pears will be sold through Bear Creek’s Harry and David unit, the nation's largest direct marketer of gourmet fruit and food gifts. Experienced local pickers may report to Bear Creek’s employment center, 2800 S. Pacific Highway. More information is available by calling 800-432-7759. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times