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Early Spring Has Farmers Battling Frost At Night
Philippe Coquard could use some sleep. He's the co-owner of the Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. And he's been up two nights in a row. He blames it on the weather.PHILLIPPE COQUARD: The month of March was like summer, which we never see that in Wisconsin. And everybody is so happy and it feels like summer. Well, it's not good to us.
CORNISH: That's because Coquard's 27 acres of grapevines budded a month ahead of schedule. And now there's frost. Coquard and other vineyard and orchard owners in southern Wisconsin are trying to protect those fragile buds. Some build bonfires, some use large tarps. Coquard says his work starts at 1:30 in the morning.
COQUARD: So, soon as the temperature will hit 35 degree Fahrenheit at two feet off the ground, then it triggers an alarm - it calls me in my house. Then I will come to the winery and start our protection equipment.
More: http://www.npr.org/2012/04/06/150149095/early-spring-has-farmers-battling-frost-at-night
