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I’m Nic Newhouse, the ranch manager for Upland Farms in Sunnyside, WA. We have over 100 wind machines in our orchards and vineyards. They are crucial during times of critical weather to keep our crops safe and profitable. The Orchard-Rite AutoStart systems on the machines are a huge help, but another problem is making sure all the machines are running.

With the addition of Orchard-Rite’s ORCell system, I am able to monitor all the machines from my phone or computer. The system shows me which machines are experiencing problems or warming up / cooling down. It allows me to monitor the orchard temperature in real time, taking the guess work out of when to run the machines. ORCell also lets me set temperatures with a push of a button, as the critical temperatures constantly change. Overall, ORCell allows me to be much more efficient and accurate at my job. It reduces wasted time night and day, and saves us on labor costs.

I’m Mike Hendrix with LALA Berries. We’re from Homerville, Georgia. We have 20 acres of blueberries, and we have two Orchard-Rite wind machines. If a grower asked me why I have wind machines on our property, I would say because they work. They do a great job of frost protection. They do a great job of drying our berries. Since we’ve had our wind machines we haven’t had a crop insurance claim from frost damage...

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As one of the growers and owners at Ausco, I can say that the decision to purchase the Orchard-Rite M2600D frost fan has paid for itself this last year. It has enabled us to continue to harvest for an additional 3 to 4 weeks past other growers that do not have wind machines.

We grow snow peas, snap peas, zucchini and grapes in Merbein South, a region of Victoria and we purchased our first frost fan in 2020, and then another in 2021.

The Orchard-Rite machines were recommended to us by another local farmer that had a good experience with the M2600D frost fan. The amount of airflow created by the Orchard-Rite machines played an important roll in our decision. Peas are a difficult crop to protect because they are so low to the ground. We gave the protection of the crops an 8 out of 10 using the M2600D because of the airflow it was able to get to our crops. The durability and reliability of the machine we give 10 out of 10 and the service and back-up of Sunrise Ag, the local Orchard-Rite dealer, also 10 out of 10.

We would highly recommend the Orchard-Rite machines to any growers.

We are very pleased with the purchase of our three Orchard-Rite Tree Shakers to harvest the almonds on our 1000-acre farm. Pacific Distributing, Inc. came out to do a demonstration. From that moment, we knew the Orchard-Rite machines were the ones to buy and today, we are proud to say we have been Orchard-Rite tree shaker owners for 27 years!

We are continually impressed by the knowledge and excellent service provided by the Pacific Distributing team. Our machines have proven to be consistently efficient in harvesting our crops. They are highly durable and reliable and have become a critical part of our almond farm operation. I would recommend the Orchard-Rite machines and the team at Pacific Distributing to anyone. They are a great investment.

My name is Fernando Franco, the vineyard manager at Barboursville Vineyards in historic, Barboursville, Virginia. I have been working in viticulture for 38 years and over 20 years now at Barboursville Vineyards. As the viticulturist, I am responsible for thousands of vines in our vineyard and have saved the wine grapes in our vineyards with our Orchard-Rite wind machines many, many times over the years from spring frost.

The new Orchard-Rite models are even better than the ones we first bought. Being able to program the machines to start at the right time and temperature using the AutoStart feature has literally saved our wine grape harvest more times than I can count. The machines are dependable and very efficient. I highly recommend Orchard-Rite wind machines for vineyard frost protection.

We grow Stone Fruit, Avocados and dried fruit on our 80ha property at Goodnight. We installed our first Orchard-Rite Frost Fan in 2018 and now have a total of three machines across the farm. We purchased the Orchard-Rite Frost Fans from Swan Hill Kubota as they support the sale with parts and service.

Our Orchard-Rite Frost Fans have protected our crops from losses and continue to give us the piece-of-mind we need when frost threatens our orchards. They are 100% durable and reliable, consistently protect our crops whilst being easy to operate.

Orchard-Rite Frost Fans have definitely been a good investment. They have increased our fruit production, fruit quality and have ensured we have no crop loss from frost events each year.

Our family grows various types of Stone Fruit on our 30ha property at Piangil near Swan Hill in Victoria. We installed our first Orchard-Rite Frost Fan in early 2020. The decision was made to purchase an Orchard-Rite Frost Fan after talking with other local Stone Fruit growers about their experiences with their Orchard-Rite Frost Fans.

Having an Orchard-Rite frost fan installed on our farm has given us the feeling of security, knowing our crops are being totally protected against frost events and losses in the future. In this first year, we have found our Orchard-Rite frost fan to be 100% reliable and it fully protected the area it was purchased to cover.

The entire process, from our first discussions with the Swan Hill Kubota staff, to purchase and finally the install of our frost fan, everything was well within my expectations and the whole process ran smoothly.

We grow various types of Stone Fruit on our 150ha property at Woorinen near Swan Hill in Victoria. We installed our first Orchard-Rite Frost Fan back in the late 1990’s and now have a total of 8 Orchard-Rite Fans with the last machines installed in Autumn of 2020.

The decision to purchase the Orchard-Rite Frost Fans came back to the quality of the product, the reliability of the product and the excellent coverage the machines provide throughout our Orchard. The fans give us piece of mind that our Orchard is 100% protected during frost events and during key periods of flowing and fruit set. The Orchard-Rite product is backed up by excellent local service from the team at Swan Hill Kubota.

We have previously used water to also help with frost control, but with the price of water have moved away from this method of control and now totally rely on Orchard-Rite Frost Fans.

“Orchard-Rite wind machines help protect my cherry crop from both frost and rain.”

I farm about 350 acres of cherries, apples, pears, and peaches with about 71 acres of Bing and Rainier cherries that are very important to my operations. I used to use just seven wind machines on my cherries, but recently added an additional seven for drying purposes should rain threaten to crack the fruit.

I have retrofitted all of the machines with Orchard-Rite’s 19-foot blade to help blow water off the fruit, and it provides very impressive coverage. I get my wind machines serviced and relocated through Cascade Wind Machine, a service provider owned by Orchard-Rite, and they can move all of them in one day. They are as efficient as the machines they service.

The wind machine made all of the difference.

We have been growing about 20 acres of cherries for 25 years and during a cold year, we would expect to not have crop in about half of the orchard. Recently, we invested in an Orchard-Rite wind machine and we had even crop throughout the orchard. We might put in another machine, but the one gives us enough air movement to cover the whole acreage.

The Auto-Start™ option has also been a great advantage since we live 20 miles from the farm.

We presently operate 20 Orchard-Rite tree shakers. The reliability and service we have experienced from Orchard-Rite equipment have been exceptional year after year.

The Orchard-Rite crew is great to work with.

I currently grow 70 acres of cherries and we operate two Orchard-Rite wind machines for frost protection. We can have very cold, wet springs and they are very beneficial.

Because of our Orchard-Rite wind machines, we actually had our best crop in what would have normally been the poorest producing portion of the orchard. We plan to install more wind machines through Orchard-Rite.

Orchard-Rite stands behind their equipment and is constantly making improvements toward driver comfort and ease of maintenance. Today, this is the only machine to buy for tree shaking.

“We have a great working relationship.”

We have 1,300 acres of cherries with 31 wind machines spread over 20 miles. All of our wind machines are Orchard-Rite with the Auto-Start™ feature. The low spots in our orchards often vary and the Auto-Start™ has taken all of the guess work out of protecting those areas.

We get our machines serviced by Cascade Wind Machine Service, a service provider owned by Orchard-Rite, and it is great. They are a solid company with the same people year in and year out, making it easy to do business together.

“During harvest there is no time for downtime.”

I expect my machinery to operate at peak performance for hours on end. I have found Orchard-Rite shakers to be of superior workmanship and extremely reliable throughout a rigorous and lengthy season.

Orchard-Rite is the only machine for me!

“They paid for themselves in one year.”

We farm 150 acres of pistachios at an elevation of 4,500 feet. We put in nine Orchard-Rite wind machines in February and experienced severe temperature drops in April. Without these machines, I’m sure we would have lost 80% of our crop.

It’s a no brainer to use wind machines in this part of the country. Almost all of the pistachio farmers in our area use Orchard-Rite wind machines. When it comes to frost protection, I don’t know of anything that preforms as well as their wind machines.

We love our Orchard-Rite tree shakers. The shaker pads are easy to see, and the WetHead® lubrication system makes it so we do not need to grease the pads anymore - saving us time.

We have also experienced less damage to our trees and the operator experiences a lot less fatigue in Orchard-Rite machines. These tree shakers are well built, easy to service, and simple to operate.

We think in terms of quality.

We are developing a vineyard on Red Mountain. We have experienced late season freezes, causing a fair amount of damage. We ended up purchasing an Orchard-Rite® wind machine because growers we have confidence in recommended them.

We like the Auto-Start™ preset and the wireless connection to a weather station or computer. The wind machine also helps harden off the wood before winter and gives us the protection we need in the spring.

Orchard-Rite give us great service even though we only have one wind machine. They are like working with a good neighbor that you trust.

“These machines really work, they’ve saved a lot of our fruit.”

We farm 300 acres of blueberries in Michigan and we use Orchard-Rite wind machines to protect where we cannot use water for frost protection. We often have temperatures in the twenties and with our wind machines we can gain 3-5 degrees.

The AutoStart™ feature has been our savior on cold nights. It just gives me less things I need to do and worry about. I wouldn’t buy another wind machine without AutoStart™.

For nearly two decades, I have been farming vinifera grapes in the Grand River Valley of Ohio. Starting with a 2-acre leased field, my family now owns 85 acres and manages another 80 acres for three wineries. Today hundreds of wind machines dot the east coast fruit region, but back in 1995 when we installed our first machine, nobody was running them. Today we use five machines to move cold air winter and spring in frost/winterkill areas. The original propane machine now has 500 hours and still starts on the first or second crank at subzero temperatures.

The most commonly asked question about our Orchard Rites® are 1) Do they work & 2) How much do they raise the winter low temperature? In our best site, currently protected by one 16hp. unit, the machine protects up to 15 at-risk acres and raises temperature 8-12°F on the coldest January nights when it is started early. On poorer sites, fewer temperature increases are to be expected (3-4°F), though the machines clearly reduce the time that the vineyard spends at the night's lowest temperature. On a 10-acre site, with wine grapes at $1,500/ton, avoiding a one-time 1.6tpa loss will cover the initial investment. On any one of the coldest nights between 2003-2005, each Orchard-Rite® paid for itself.

We’ve been farming for 3 generations, and for 30 years we’ve been exclusively tree fruit. About 4 years ago we put in our first Orchard Rite® frost fan and have since added 2 more.

Before we put in these machines, we never had a full crop in the valley acreage, where we typically will be around 25-28 degrees on some nights. With these machines, we’ve been able to pick up 7 to 8 degrees with a good strong inversion layer. Since we put in these machines, we’ve had a full crop most years. We’ve had apples when some of the neighbors didn’t have any.

When we’re ready, we’ll certainly be going back to Orchard Rite® to add new machines. We’re a firm believer in them!

Our family has a history in Central California dating to the gold rush days. We run a diversified family farming operation currently growing almonds, pistachios, raisin grapes and different varieties of wine grapes. Presently we own five Orchard-Rite® shakers and are extremely pleased with their durability, dependability, speed, and ease of operation. We appreciate how well Orchard-Rite® stands behind its product, and look forward to a long relationship.

Since switching to Orchard-Rite® I have seen a significant reduction in shaking labor cost, repairs, and tree damage. Orchard-Rite® shakers are fast and dependable, and I would not shake my trees with any other machine.

While using the HydraShake and AccuShake systems, we are able to make the proper adjustments for a clean and consistent shake on the tree. Big or small, you are able to adjust your shake times and how hard you want it to shake. The machine is very user-friendly too, my guy had no problem learning how to use it.