Fires burn amid the blossoming fruit trees at Bechdolt Orchards in Lower Saucon Township Saturday night.
After suffering thousands of dollars in weather-related losses to their plum and peach crops last week, Bechdolt Orchards in Lower Saucon Township has turned to the popular crowdfunding site GoFundMe to help generate donations.
The “Save the Orchard” campaign launched Sunday has a fundraising goal of $5,000, and as of Monday morning $710 had already been raised by 16 donors.
After a very cold night Wednesday in which fires set among the orchard’s trees were extinguished–after a township police officer visited and investigated smoke drifting across a nearby road–the orchard lost nearly its entire plum crop valued at an estimated $5,000, according to owner Richie Rowe.
The reason the fires were extinguished is disputed, with Rowe saying they were ordered to be put out completely, and police officials saying there was a misunderstanding, and that the officer only wanted the straw that was contributing to the fires’ smokiness to burn down.
Police and fire department volunteers were initially called to the orchard shortly after 3 a.m. because an unidentifed neighbor saw flames and thought a house might be on fire.
To help prevent a similar misunderstanding Saturday night, when the temperature dropped to the low 20s, Rowe distributed a letter to neighbors to alert them that he would be burning small fires amid the trees to help keep the blossoms warm. He also alerted the Northampton County 911 Center in advance and posted an announcment on the orchard’s Facebook page that many people shared.
Richie Rowe displays a thermometer early Sunday morning, after workers successfully stoked fires all night to help keep the blossoms on peach trees at Bechdolt Orchards from freezing.
Although the orchard is still in the process of assessing their losses from the two cold nights, Rowe posted on Facebook Sunday that the overnight burning helped to keep the temperature around the trees above 30 degrees, and he was likely able to save some of the peach crop.
Several local residents volunteered to help stoke the wood fires and others even brought coffee and donuts, he said.
Regardless, the financial loss Bechdolt’s has suffered is described on the GoFundMe page as “huge,” and crop insurance is not available for fruits like plums and pears in Northampton County, according to Rowe.
It is available for peaches, according to a chart of crop insurance availability by county posted on the Penn State Extension website.
“Any amount is greatly appreciated,” wrote Denise D’Agostino Filo, who launched the campaign. “I can assure anyone and everyone that donates to the Bechdolt Orchards GoFundMe page that Bechdolt’s will be getting 100 percent of funds collected!”
“I want to thank you personally from the bottom of my heart for your help,” she added.
Filo said area residents who would prefer not to donate online can stop by the Bechdolt’s store during regular business hours with a donation.
“Be sure to write on your envelope ‘Save The Orchard Fund’ so it can be deposited into the proper account,” she said.
Bechdolt Orchards is located at 2209 Leithsville Road, Hellertown. For more information, call Bechdolt’s at (610) 838-8522.
