While the rest of our team is hard at work on our usual winter tasks such as sanding, our bog renovation team is also keeping busy!

Bog renovation is a time-consuming and capital-intensive but necessary project that will increase both yield and quality by improving bog and irrigation design. Effective bed drainage is critical, especially in New Jersey, where the humid climate can provide a favorable environment for Phytophthora cinnamomi, a known cause of root rot. Other improvements to the water system will include new gates, rebuilt ditches, and relocation of pumps, if necessary. As part of our irrigation redesign, and with the redesign of some of the beds, it’s sometimes necessary to make some changes in order to maximize water flow to the pump. Relocation of the pump houses is also helpful for improved access, both for refueling and repairs.

“We’re moving along with this year’s acreage,” says bog renovation manager Steve Manning. “We’re working on Panama and Bell out at Sim Place and Red Road on the home farm. The sand’s in at Panama, we’re starting to put the sand in at Bell, and Red Road is up next.”

One of our biggest projects, however, is just getting started.

A couple of years ago, Pine Island bought back some of the acreage known as Birches, originally purchased by our founder, Martin L. Haines, in the late 19th century. Our team did some dry harvesting as an experiment in fall 2018, and now our focus has turned to upgrades! We’ve removed some structures that were declared unsafe (the original packing house remains and won’t be going anywhere!) and our bog renovation team has started work on the beds.

“We were just over there today figuring out our plan of attack,” Steve says. “The water’s off, the old vines have been burned, and now we’re pushing them off and starting to pile them to the side before we take the next step.”

That’s just the beginning! We’re going to document every step of the process of bringing the original Haines family land to maximum production and efficiency.