The main concern for the crops at Pine Island Cranberry has always been the water: where is it coming from, and where do we want it to go? But in between, our team also has to make sure the water is being conveyed properly and returned in better condition than we found it. Which means the next job after the winter flood is removed becomes cleaning the irrigation systems.

Foreman Kelvin Colon was out at Sim Place this week making sure everything was in tip-top shape. “Getting everything ready for frost is the priority right now,” he says. During a night on frost, it may sometimes be necessary to repair the sprinklers, as they won’t run at full capacity if something is blocking the line. This happens more frequently when the systems first start running, and becomes less of an issue after a few cold nights. Checking for issues ahead of time helps our frost team be more efficient in attending to the crop overnight.

The procedure itself is basic, though it takes some time. Supervisor Matt Giberson explains: “We turn on the system and let it run for a while. We’ll clean out the nozzles, see where we need to make repairs, and turn the system back on to make sure the repairs worked.” Running the system for a bit also helps the team make sure that any potential engine problems are taken care of by the Facilities/Equipment team.

It’s also a chance to see how the drainage is working in some of the beds and to decide if installing new underdrain is necessary. New ditches were dug at Fishhead and Harrison last fall in order to improve the soil quality, and it seems to be helping. “We were going to go through with a trencher, but it looks like the new drains are helping,” Matt says. “The water moving through is pushing out the dirt that settled in over the winter, as well.”