CAMPBELL, Mo. -- It's summertime in Missouri and after the barbecue has been washed down with that ice-cold lemonade, there is nothing better than peach cobbler a la mode to top off the meal. But, before they appear on your table, think about where those peaches come from.
If you are in Southeast Missouri, any of the surrounding states or even as far away as Kentucky or Louisiana, chances are good your peaches come from Bader Farms.
Tucked away in the northwest corner of the Missouri Bootheel, Bill Bader, owner and operator of Bader Farms, has been in the peach-growing business for 37 years. He started in the business working in the peach orchards when he was in high school. In 1987, Bader bought his current farm, which is a family-owned business.
Bader works with his two brothers, Steve and Tom. Bader's two sons, Cody and Levi and daughter Breana work for their father. Also helping out are a first cousin, four nephews, four nieces and one great-nephew."
In the winter, when they are pruning and thinning trees, the work force is trimmed to "about six employees," Bader said.
In the summer months, Bader adds 105 employees, most of which are immigrants.
Since Bader bought his farm in 1987, it has grown from a modest 300 acres to 4,000 acres today. Bader's Farm accounts for nearly 80 percent of Missouri's total peach crop.
Standing on 1,000 of his acres are 90,000 peach trees.
Part of Bader's farm sits on Crowley's Ridge, which stretches from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Ark. Bader said he likes to plant peach trees on the Ridge because it gives them better soil and a bit more protection from frost.
Bader said this has been a good year for peaches because the frost in Southern Missouri were not as bad as frosts in Illinois this past winter.
Many of his peach-growing neighbors in Illinois were victims of bud-killing, which was caused by cold temperatures in many orchards late last year, said Elizabeth Wahle of the University of Illinois Extension office. As the main contributor to the decrease in peach production in Illinois, the weather this year also featured excessive rain in some places to hail and cool temperatures in others.
Here in Missouri, Bader acknowledges that the rain and winds from Hurricane Dennis caused them to lose three to five thousand bushels "due to the wind." However, Bader found that "rain made up the difference," the rain from Hurricane Dennis helped to alleviate the drought and, ultimately, led to larger peaches. Rain may have made up the difference in loss, but Bader said they still had to pick peaches in the rain for a couple of days.
The water and irrigation schedule for Bader Farms is computer-based, making the peach business just a little easier.
This peach season at Bader Farms, hasn't been the best year on record, that was in 1999, but it has been a good year overall.
The picking and packing season for peaches runs from July 1 to Sept. 1.
The prices have been a bit higher than average because the peaches have not been a bumper crop.
Bader and his fellow employees pick the peaches by color. They have learned to look for the yellow with a red blush on each peach. Bader Farms picks and loads the peaches into 20 lb. barrels, which then head to an assembly line to be washed and packed.
On average, the farm packs 500-600 bushels an hour. In an average day, they pack four thousand boxes, which is 400,000 peaches. On a very good day, they pack six thousand boxes full of 600,000 peaches.
After the peaches are packed, they are loaded on to trucks to be delivered to the grocery stores and roadside stands. This past Monday, they sent out 5,000 peaches.
Bader is proud of the fact that "within 24 hours from the tree, (the peaches) are in a grocery store."
Not too long after they hit the grocery store shelves or customers stop by a local roadside stand, the peaches find their way into a delicious peach cobbler.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.