We traveled East on State Route 79 and South on US 27 to South Bay on Lake Okeechobee. Land is very flat and elevation usually under 50'. I read that the orange trees have been stricken with a bactaeria from Asia.
"Citrus greening disease" infects orange trees and causes their fruit grow half-green and misshapen. Most importantly, the misshapen oranges taste sour, making the citrus impossible to sell. It was first reported in China in 1923 and was first detected in the U.S. in 2005 in Florida. By 2012, it had made its way across the country to Southern California, too.
As we were closer to Lake Okeechobee, we began to see large smoke plumes in the distance. This area's climate and soil is excellent for producing sugar cane. One field we passed was close to the road so we could see the workers managing the burn. We did see the "sugar train" passing by with full cars of burnt stalks.
"Sugarcane is harvested from late-October through mid-April. If there are no damaging effects of freezes, sugar yields are typically highest after December. In order to complete the entire south Florida sugarcane harvest within the optimal time period, some fields must be harvested before sugarcane plants have reached maximum yield potential. For this reason, agronomic research that documents variety-specific sugar yields over time is a useful tool for identifying, which varieties should be harvested in early-, mid-, and late-season. Years ago, sugarcane was hand-harvested using cane knives. Improvements in mechanical harvesters have resulted in a total movement away from hand harvesting. Acreage that was machine-harvested increased from 30% in 1987 to 100% in 1993. Why are sugarcane fields burned before harvest? The fires burn off dead leaves and other biomass “trash” that would otherwise impede the harvest operation, increase transportation costs to the mill, interfere with milling machinery, and absorb sugar during the extraction process. Absorbed sugar cannot be recovered. Fields are burned immediately before harvest. The fires are rather spectacular but of short duration (a 40-acre field burns in 15-20 minutes). Burning is done only in the daytime (through a permitting process with the Department of Forestry) when dispersal of the smoke by air currents causes minimum nuisance."
After yesterday's fiasco with finding lodging, I was busily trying to find a room near Pompano Beach and the birthday party we would be attending on Saturday. I was even looking at KOA campgrounds. We have our sleep sacks with us and could easily buy a blanket if needed. I was thinking desperately! Happily, I was able to secure a room at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Boca Raton and could relax the rest of the way. We were able to check in early and then use the pool/hot tub to relax. Applebee's was close so we had a nice dinner and enjoyed the full moon on the ride back to the hotel.
 |
| Sugar cane field burning in the distance |
 |
| We are closer.... |
 |
| and closer..... |
 |
| And then, the fire is right beside us |
 |
| The B in LYNN B WIRTA stands for my maiden name, "Boynton". Boynton Beach is nearby where the name is used on everything! |
No comments:
Post a Comment