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The mother of all winters

4/23/2023

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Just when we thought spring had finally arrived following five days of warm weather and sunshine that melted most of our accumulated snow pack, we were hit by yet another blizzard.  So far, as of April 22  (I will not say it is "over" yet) the seasonal accumulation of snow at Bayfield is a record-breaking 182.0 inches--an amount equal to over 15 feet !!!  The previous seasonal record set in 2014 was 150.5 inches--nearly 33 inches less than this season's record so far!
 
Jon has toiled to find a place to "park" all of this snow as he plows to keep the driveway open.  Believe me, the banks and the piles are high.  I was concerned that one of Jon's buildings on the farm might collapse under the load.  Large tree limbs did come down on our house in one severe storm, and numerous structures in Northern Wisconsin did collapse under the weight of accumulated snow.  The steel roofs on most of our farm structures shed the weight during periodic thaws and none of the buildings, including our home, have been damaged.
 
One might expect that such a winter would flatten our fruit plantings and ornamental shrubbery.  However, when the fields opened briefly during the significant thaw we experienced a week ago, I was pleased to see that there was little damage.  Even the ornamental shrubbery around our house popped right up as soon as the snow load melted.  Although the snow has been deep and the winds severe, we haven't experienced any low temperatures that would exceed the hardiness of our plants.  I will predict an excellent blueberry harvest for the coming summer.
 
​Also this winter-- near the end of February,  I suffered a bad fall at the cottage.  A ladder slipped out from under me and I fell 8 feet to the floor on top of the ladder.  I suffered a loss of consciousness, a 3 inch gash in the back of my head, a broken rib, and a serious concussion.   My son Jon responded to my distress call and got me to emergency care at the hospital in Ashland.   Following several hours of observation, x-rays, injury assessment, and wound care, I was released to the care of my family. The first couple of weeks following the accident were the most difficult.  I was wracked with spasmodic pain--especially in my ribs and back--and required narcotic drugs to "stay on top of it."   Thankfully the pain has subsided.  My head wound healed rapidly and the staples have since been removed.   Affects from the concussion--vertigo, "brain fog," and exhaustion--will require a longer healing process.  My doctor tells me full recovery may require up to eight months from the time of the injury.  I am trying to "take it easy" at home, sleeping a lot, thankful to be alive, thankful that my injuries weren't worse than they were, thankful for Janet's care and my family's assistance.  

I am eager now for spring flowers.  The tulips were up 6-8 inches before being buried again by this recent blizzard.  Last Fall I planted nearly 100 additional bulbs in our perennial gardens.  Wild flowers and over 200 trees planted on the cottage property appear to have wintered as well.   Everything that grows here should have plenty of moisture to begin a new season!
 
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Upadate on blueberry Development in the republic of georgia

4/16/2023

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​This month marks five years since I retired from my 17 year engagement as a horticultural crop consultant for foreign aid programs funded by USAID.  As I said in an earlier post, although I provided assistance to a number of programs as diverse as irrigation mangement of Eastern European fruit crops to honey production and marketing in sub-Saharan East Africa, early on my specialty became blueberry production and enterprise development.  The opportunity for this "native-North American,"  high value, labor intensive crop was timely for transitioning economies in parts of the world that could offer the climates, moisture, and soils required.  Blueberry markets for this healthy and culturally adaptable fruit were dramatically expanding in response to a growing global demand.

I brought a first trial planting of 50 highbush blueberries on a second consultancy to the Republic of Georgia in 2003, which lead to a three year mission to establish a Georgian Blueberry Production Industry.  
At the outset I told my berry stakeholders that blueberry enterprise developement would necessarily be a long term development project--the major reason being the slow growing nature of the highbush blueberry plant.   Over the next 15  years USAID funded four follow-on  missions in Georgia to strengthen and expand our efforts.  The best sites proved to be the western regions near the Balck Sea where tea had formerly been grown by the USSR on large industrial state farms   We learned that northren tea varieties and blueberries share the same site requirements for soil, moisture, and climate

A young fruit horticulture graduate student at the University of Tblisi, whom I met on my first trip to Georgia in 2003, was hired as my colleague and interpreter.  Today, 20 years later, Dr. Zviad Bobokashvili is a lead rsearcher and consultant for the Georgian Horticultural Research Institute with responsiblity for apple, cherry, and blueberry crop research and outreach.  We remain close friends.  In January, as  a part of his annual New Year's greeting, I received the follwing news from Zviad:

 "Regarding results from our efforts:  I can report that Blueberry acreage in Georgia has grown to 2,000 hectares (nearly 5,000 acres) this year, with  another 400 ha expected to be planted in the upcoming year 2023.  Georgian export of  blueberries was valued at almost $5,000,000 USD for 2022.  So, the dream which our USAID AgVantage team began in 2003, with your initiatives and leadership, is being realized."
Other former Georgian colleagues have informed me that blueberries now challenge wine as the major Georgian agricultural export, and that nearly 500 Geogian farm families are benefiting. 
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    Rick Dale

    Founder
    ​ of Highland Valley Farm

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