20140418 - Farming Winter Recovery

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H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com Nichols Farm and Orchard owner Lloyd Nichols discribes the possible weather damage to one of the concord grape vines at the orchard. Nichols ranked this past winter as one of the harshest since he started in Marengo 36 years ago. Nichols and his family grow more than 1,000 fruits and vegetables at the orchard each year. "It's too early to see what happened yet ... We definitely pushed the season back," Nichols said. "We are looking at a relatively short growing season."

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H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com Todd Nichols checks the level of a planter before making adjustments and putting down rows of sweet corn seeds on Friday, April 18 in Marengo. The Nichols family grow more than 1,000 fruits and vegetables on 400 acres each year.

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H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com Todd Nichols checks the level of a planter before making adjustments and putting down rows of sweet corn seeds on Friday, April 18 in Marengo. The Nichols family grow more than 1,000 fruits and vegetables on 400 acres each year.

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Todd Nichols plants sweet corn on the family farm. H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com

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Lloyd Nichols exits one of the green houses after inspecting seedlings at the Nichols Farm and Orchard in Marengo. H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com

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Nick Nichols rolls a cart of Red Vein Sorrel seedlings to a greenhouse. H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com

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H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com Lloyd Nichols inspects buds on a fruit tree.

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Lloyd Nichols walks through his orchard while checking fruit trees for damage from this past winter weather. "It's too early to see what happened yet ... We definitely pushed the season back," Nichols said. "We are looking at a relatively short growing season." H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com

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H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com Nichols Farm and Orchard owner Lloyd Nichols describes the possible weather damage to one of the concord grape vines at the orchard. Nichols ranked this past winter as one of the harshest since he started in Marengo 36 years ago. Nichols and his family grow more than 1,000 fruits and vegetables at the orchard each year. "It's too early to see what happened yet ... We definitely pushed the season back," Nichols said. "We are looking at a relatively short growing season."

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Nichols Farm and Orchard workers spray raspberry plants with lime sulphur fungicide. H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com