Iowa Derecho 2020 Orchard Damage | DAFT

On August 10th, 2020 Iowa was ambushed by 80 - 110 mph winds in what meteorologist are calling a Derecho. The storm, which seemed to come out of nowhere, left hundreds of thousands of Iowans without power for days, an incredible amount of debris from old-growth trees, and damaged farmlands extensively.

While Iowa City and the surrounding areas sustained a lot of damage, what our neighbors to the north in Cedar Rapids are experiencing is much, much worse. In fact, a week later there are still people without homes, food, water, and electricity.

In this episode of DAFT (Dumb Apple Farmer Talks), Paul Rasch from Wilson's discusses how the inland hurricane has effected our farm, and the steps we're taking to recover.

[margaretkiekhaefer]

I’m so sorry about the wind damage. I would think you could still harvest the trees just tilting but not on the ground. I also lost my red haven peach tree at its graft. It is loaded with fruit this year but they still haven’t ripened. It has propped itself up and is still green. So sad what has happened to so many trees.

[DiverPeg]

I was quite worried about your crop when the storm roared through. I am sorry you've lost up to 30% of this year's crop. I hope it doesn't get worse. I see all the windfalls and keep thinking that it's a shame you can't use them. I give all my own windfalls to some local pigs.