Apple, grape farmers preparing for harvest
TREMPEALEAU CO., WI — Apple farmers are in dire need of a bumper crop this season.
Tom Ferguson, owner of Ferguson’s Orchard in Galesville says everything is right to make that happen. Apples thrive in 70-80 degree temperatures and the orchard has managed to avoid major hail storms.
“Last year to this year is night and day different, so we only had 10% of a normal crop last year and this year we should have about 100% so we’re pretty excited, this is an important year for us,” says Ferguson.
Ferguson plans to start harvesting next week. The orchard’s stores will start to open on Saturday, August 24th with a select variety of apples.
Down the road at the Elmaro Vineyard in Trempealeau, co-owner Lynita Delaney would like to see a harvest similar to last years.
Last year brought produced some of the best bottles of wine the vineyard has seen.
But Delaney says a late spring will delay harvest between two weeks and a month.
21461562Similar to the apple orchard, conditions are set for a good haul, but there are still some variables that could impact the quality.
“The cooler temperatures are known to increase sugar and decrease color and so we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen in Wisconsin grapes because they are hybrids, they are not vinifera,” says Delaney.
