It is true hind sight is 2020 but in hindsight 2020 was not the year for the farmer.  Weather from rain to frost to snow at harvest all played the high notes on the anxiety scale.  Then came more rules and challenges with the pandemic.  There were problems of fruit size, and consumer traffic to purchase available crop harvested.

During the summer in preparation for harvest and harvesting soft fruit there was a shortage of labor.  When apple picking time arrived the problems continued for some not all the thinning was completed, some summer pruning did not happen resulting in fruit color issues.  The saving grace and curse was, the crop maturity dates were later in some cases.

From what I observed some of it was poor planning in the face of adversity, but in reality it was the year of the perfect storm.

In addition to a local labor shortage, there was Covid confusion and some foreign workers arrived late and some never made it to their destination at all from what I was told.  

I remember during the summer, saying local people, service clubs and even seniors could earn extra money or citizens could lend a hand picking apples.  I vividly remember one critic who took me to task for even suggesting seniors should pick apples.

Fair enough but let me tell you a personal story.  I have a friend who planned well, got his summer pruning and thinning done and did his horticulture husbandry well.  He had some foreign workers but found himself a few pickers short.  I offered to help.  In addition there were two other friends that pitched in.

So how did I make out?

I finished when the crew finished yesterday just after lunch.  In my seventies I picked three to four bins a day or 75 to a hundred boxes per day.  The weight of a bin of apples varies from 700 to 800 pounds depending on variety.  To the person who said seniors can’t do that kind of work.   “I picked 63 bins.

At an average of 800 pounds that comes to close to 25 tons of fruit.”  

The truth is I pick now at about half the  rate as I did in my youth but I still made a little money and even more important I helped a friend, got lots of fresh air and exercise.

The other thing I learned that is still 2020 hindsight is this.

“Never under estimate what a senior can do when required.”  

 

 

Fred Steele