Lack Of Snow Spells Doom For Local Farmer
By Jason Pelletier on February 29, 2012, 12:00am
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Here in Connecticut there aren’t too many people are complaining about the lack of snow, but for those who rely “Old Man Winter” to help supplement a living, this season has caused nothing but headaches. My neighbor is one of those people who are being affected by this absence of snowfall.
Bill Morton operates a local Christmas tree farm on the Terryville/Harwinton town line. With this season’s lack of snow cover to help protect younger trees, deer have been coming onto the farm and eating the buds and shoots off of these young saplings. Having an adequate snow cover helps protect these trees from being easily eaten by deer, and although the Christmas season has come and gone already, this problem creates more long-term issues for the tree farm. According to Morton, eating the buds off the saplings stunts the growth of these pine trees by a full year thus creating years where there may be less desirable trees for sale in seasons to come, these deer are literally eating profits away from local growers.
Options to deter the deer are limited since hunting is out of the question with the farms residential location and the use of fencing or commercial repellants is extremely expensive. With the economy the way it is Morton would find it hard to pass expenses associated with deer damage onto the consumer as trees on the farm are sold for $20. Increasing the price could send customers elsewhere causing even more revenue headaches for a local farmer eking out a living.
Similar incidents have been seen this winter season on larger scale farms. Deer caused Pine Acres Christmas Tree Farm in Iowa to shut down completely after wiping out their entire farm. (Story can be read HERE)
Even when Mother Nature seems to be giving us a break this winter, her fury can always be felt on different levels.
Morton's Tree Farm can be found on East Plymouth Road in Terryville, CT
References:
"Deer Wipe Out Christmas Tree Crop" by Kera Mashek,
http://www.kwwl.com/story/16147859/deer-wipe-out-christmas-tree-crop
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