Keith Nilmieir is getting ready for another cold night. He has 70 acres of oranges, most of it is still on the trees, susceptible to the cold. So far, he hasn't seen any damage.
Nilmieir said, "we've kind of dodged the bullet the past couple nights, it's been a tap dance."
He says Friday night wasn't that bad. Temperatures in his orchards stayed above 30 degrees, thanks to wind machines and water. He says mother nature also helped, "we had some clouds come in just before dark and that held the temperatures up and held the cold off a lot longer than they had expected."
Saturday night could be a lot colder. If the temperature drops below 28 degrees for an hour or two, frost could set in and damage the fruit. But Nilmieir says it's late in the season, the oranges have developed a natural protection, a high sugar content.
"This year we are maxed on our sugar so we can take more...if we had 28 degrees earlier in the season that would be a little more critical," he said.
TXT 24
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