When Hurricane Milton plowed its way across the heart of Florida in October, we — like many of you — were glued to the weather updates, took as many precautions as we could, and prayed for the best. This was definitely a high-wind storm — setting off a record number of tornado warnings in Florida with 19 confirmed touchdowns.
Amid the cleanup and recovery in the days and weeks that followed, we began to hear reports from growers about how their Tree Defender IPCs fared in the storm.
You might recall that in last month’s column, we emphasized the importance of customer feedback and how it contributes to our ongoing success and innovation.
This feedback is no different. There is only so much a lab test can prove in product development; this storm was the stiffest real-world test we have faced, so we were anxious to hear customers’ experiences.
To be honest, we were expecting the worst based on the storm’s Sarasota-to-Atlantic Ocean track right through Florida’s citrus heartland. But overall, we were pleased with the performance of Tree Defenders during Hurricane Milton.
The growers reported losing some IPCs here and there, which was to be expected, however, it was nothing major or unmanageable. We were especially concerned about the larger 8-foot Tree Defenders that are gaining popularity on the East Coast. But those, too, performed exceptionally well.
Part of the successful performance of the Tree Defender must be attributed to the growers, who are heeding our communications and getting more diligent in setting themselves up for success during the crucial installation stage.
The recent addition of the stainless-steel grommets to our patented design has proven to be a game changer, providing increased protection and securing the hem.
Our custom composite stakes, which quickly grew to be quite popular among growers because of their peak performance in normal growing conditions, did experience some limited breakage in the areas of the state where the most extreme wind gusts were recorded. Based on those occurrences, we are upgrading to a much sturdier stake with a new channeled custom cap. We expect this modification will mitigate much of the breakage we saw during Milton.
No one likes to go through a hurricane — especially one like Milton — but as the storm clears, it offers the chance to reflect, innovate, and improve the Tree Defender.
As the Tree Defender IPC becomes increasingly invaluable in the push to help restore the Florida citrus industry, we use every opportunity to help our design perform to its utmost potential.
Bio: Scott Thompson is co-founder of Tree Defender, Radical Ag-Tech, and Care Planet Technologies. He is a Central Florida native with a background in agribusiness, food manufacturing, and bioscience.
This column is sponsored by Tree Defender, and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.
