11/18/05 Keeping the freeze off

As one can tell by the nip in the air, the frost and freeze that transitions fall to winter is present in much of the Northwest. For the orchardist and vineyard operator, the stress over frost and freeze is most evident during the bloom season in spring. To that end, research is being conducted on a new method of protection. LEITMAN: Oregon State University is doing some research for us on the use of ag heat propane burners for frost and freeze protection for orchards and vineyards. That project has really just been set up and the burners put in place. So we're really looking forward to some data coming out of that project. Mark Leitman represents the project's sponsor, the Propane Education and Research Council. He says part of the drive for this project comes from both a safety and environmental standpoint. LEITMAN: We understand that some of the alternative methods are quite harmful to the environment. There's fuel spilled and there's a lot of emissions that come off these fuels, so the clean burning propane set up in a safe system we believe is going to help the industry up there substantially. Ag heat burners are currently available, but study of the best logistics, such as spacing of the burners, and installation plans, are still needed. So how soon will P.E.R.C. have results of their study? LEITMAN: Approximately twelve months will give us the feedback that we need, and we're going to begin posting those results on our website in the form of a report that can be duplicated and we'll make sure that we communicate that quite clearly to the Northwest agriculture community.