While most people are taking time off in the summer to relax and take vacations, local orchard farmers are keeping very busy.
Rendleman Orchard in Union County is in the middle of harvesting vegetables and peaches during their 143rd season.
The farm is run by the 4th and 5th generation family members.
In late July, they’re mostly harvesting vegetables and peaches. But apples are just around the corner.
Owner and assistant vice president Michelle Sirles says despite the heat, the crops are doing great.
“We couldn’t be happier with how the harvest is going this year and we have really a pretty big peach crop and a big apple crop so we’re thrilled to death on a year like this.”
"We couldn't be happier with how the harvest is going this year"- Michelle Sirles, Rendleman Orchards
But it’s not just the spring and summer that determines the crop; the winter months also have an affect on the harvest.
“We just had mother nature on our side this winter we didn’t get into any real scary freezing temperatures this year so that’s really what helps a lot”
Sirles says during the summer they work 7 days a week because growing doesn’t take a break.
“It takes a lot of hours and hours of riding around in trucks and on 4 wheelers by my father in law and mother in law and my husband they watch the crops daily, year round, daily.”
With 850 acres, they need a lot of help harvesting.
Rendleman's employs 80 people during peak harvest time.
“They’re some tough people that can really harvest under some extreme circumstances and that’s hard to find and we could not do this without them, without the crew we have we would have to close shop/”
And like the Sirles family, the workers also work together with family members.
“Sometimes we have 2 and 3 generations working here at the same time, the grandparents, the parents, and their children when they get old enough and need summer jobs.”
Sirles says with this year's harvest, you’ll be able to find plenty of apples this fall.
“So those guys will be working hard to finish up the harvest and we will have apples for sale to grocery stores up to mid to late October maybe November and we’ll actually be selling some apples up to Christmas in our farm market.”
And in early spring it will all start again for their 144th season.
