Each spring, agricultural helicopter operators head to fields across NZ, their blades churning up warmer air on order to keep frosts from affecting the crops. That is why helicopters, doing frost protection, are now hovering at low altitude above the ground during the pitch black night. The air they churn may only be a few degrees warmer than at ground level but can make a vital difference for tender crops. Frost decimates blueberry cropDuring one of these frosty nights, a Waikato family watched their blueberry crops dying in front of their eyes. Monavale Blueberries, New Zealand’s largest certified organic blueberry orchard, sits on 44 hectares near Cambridge, and should be full of white flowering bushes and the deafening hum of bees.

Source: Stuff October 13, 2022 00:38 UTC