Picking and Choosing

Picking and Choosing was Originally Posted on November 14, 2013 by lavarock

I called the coffee pickers yesterday and they said they would be here today. They usually arrive at about 9:30am but sometimes don’t make it until 1pm. Sometimes I think they only come by on their way into town and need a few dollars. One day they worked 3 hours. So I drove up and checked every few hours and after 2pm quit checking. The father called at 5:53pm to tell me that he couldn’t get transportation and would come at 7:30am tomorrow. I’m holding my breath.

Because these people are not very reliable, it is costing me money. They appear to be randomly picking from trees rather than going row by row. That means that they are missing a lot of cherry which then shrivels on the tree. That shriveled coffee cherry is then culled out of the picking and discarded, wasting coffee. Any cherry that makes it through the process may have a bad taste.

Since this is the first year of real near full production, I will have a better grip on how often I have to have pickers and how much cherry I should have per pick. That will allow me to schedule pickers who will do a better job.

There has been an uptick in orders recently and I appreciate the business. I hope that the coffee is everything they hoped it to be. I do my best to offer a good product at a good price. I like a deal and try to offer deals to others.

As I reported here before, I opted not to breed my Yellow Lab this year. I have had a shoulder issue and held off doing a number of things until I can get it addressed next year.

My friend and ex co-worker Gary is about ready to go to closing on his farm. He’ll be moving here with his wife after January. In the meantime I will be offering assistance on getting his farm ready and helping him set up his business. It will be easier for him now that he has someone who has “been there, done that” already. His biggest concern is water. He can get county water but it will cost thousands to run a line to the street and he will need a helper pump to get pressure to the house. As an alternative he can install a catchment tank and use rainwater for irrigation, washing and toilets.

Not having readily available water was not as big a concern as some of his other needs which included the size of the property, the condition of the house, being close to medical, shopping, friends and most important, high speed internet! Having a bit of irrigation experience now myself, I was able to speak with my contact and tell her just what she needed to know to estimate costs for a line to the street. That includes water pressure at the street, rise in altitude, length of the run, expected pressure at the far end, and a choice of a couple of materials for the water line.

I also have considered and will install a telephone service that will suit his needs.

I created a website for him, got him on the local Post Office box waiting list and determined what he needs to do to prove residency here before the end of the year as that can effect his property taxes beginning next year.

Speaking of farms, I have a lessor visit scheduled this month, so I am tiding up around the coffee trees. If the pickers do arrive, I’ll see if the Father wants to do some weed whacking. (You know, I think I have been misspelling weed whacking here for years. If so, please forgive me.