Frozen Fury: Agricultural Crops and Hail Damage
By Malcolm Bucholtz
Published by Wood Dragon Books
$19.95 ISBN 9781989078853
MOSSBANK — Frozen Fury is a “resource for farm operators, agricultural students, and hail adjustors.” Even though I am none of those things, I found this non-fiction book to be informative and fascinating. Anyone with even a remote interest in agriculture as well as the effects of hail on that industry will find this book valuable.
A few interesting tidbits I learned while reading Frozen Fury:
• India is the largest mustard grower in the world, followed by Canada;
• Sunflower originated in northern Mexico and was used as a diuretic and an expectorant;
• Corn is one of the most difficult crops to hail adjust;
• If crops are treated with micronutrients after hail damage, they recover faster and better.
As this book is thorough and contains a great deal of information, I found it a huge help that Bucholtz included a brief summary in bullet points at the end of each chapter. That kept my confusion at bay and helped cement everything I’d just learned.
And I learned a heck of a lot reading Frozen Fury. I had no clue that humans have been trying to use hail suppression techniques for years in an attempt to reduce the odds of the ice pellets falling to Earth. I now have a strong grasp on the science of hail (something I thought I knew but was actually ignorant about.) I also now know a lot more about seeds and the stages of plants than I ever thought possible.
I especially appreciated that Bucholtz simplified the information in Frozen Fury, making it easily understandable to people such as myself with zero previous education in the topic. It reminded me of Elon Musk. When the genius talks, he makes things easy for a layperson to understand. Had Bucholtz used industry lingo and fancy words, I wouldn’t have a clue what he was discussing.
Malcolm Bucholtz was the perfect person to author this book. He lives in the farming community of Mossbank, and worked as a hail adjustor. Before that, Bucholtz earned a degree in metallurgical engineering and worked in the Canadian steel industry for 16 years. After that, he went on to be an investment advisor and commodity trader as well as the president and CEO of a mineral exploration company, among other things. Bucholtz knows his stuff! Frozen Fury is his 19th book; let’s hope he has a lot more to come.
Frozen Fury is a surprisingly entertaining read. You don’t have to be in the farming or insurance industry to feel like a more knowledgeable person for picking up a copy. It goes down even better with an icy beverage.
This book is available at your local bookstore or from www.skbooks.com
