With more than 200 acres of ornamental and shade trees, Panhandle Growers in Milton, Fla., supplies field-grown and container trees for landscape projects throughout the Southeast. Providing irrigation to those 200 acres is key to the ongoing success of Panhandle Growers, which was founded in 1987 with just 20 acres. The company’s irrigation system was threatened, however, by repeated and costly lightning strikes.
Every year, Panhandle Growers was losing at least one pump, numerous timers and other associated equipment due to lightning damage. Glen Strange, who with John M. Davy owns Panhandle Growers, estimates that lightning strikes were costing the company as much as $5,000 a year.

Cindy Anderson of the Team Santa Rosa Economic Development Commission heard about the lighting problem at Panhandle Growers and urged Strange to contact the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). After he submitted a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA), Strange was surprised and pleased to learn that his RTA would be answered by an engineer who has years of experience and extensive expertise in lightning protection.
Carlos Mata, Ph.D., of Dynacs, Inc., a SATOP Space Alliance Partner located at the Kennedy Space Center, participates in research to better understand lightning phenomena and how to protect people and businesses from lightning. Dr. Mata conducted a thorough site visit and reviewed Panhandle Growers’ irrigation equipment, connections and grounding system. He found cables running through open fields connecting to solenoids on one end and timers on the other – a configuration that acted as electric field antennas every time a nearby lightning strike occurred. As a result, timers that were not powered up still were damaged during thunderstorms.
Dr. Mata developed a list of suggestions, in cost-effective order, for fixing the current system. "We recommended a combination of surge suppressors, optocouplers and appropriate grounding to minimize the damages produced by nearby lightning strikes," he said. He also explained to Panhandle Growers’ technicians how future installations should be done to avoid lightning damage.

Although it will take time for Panhandle Growers to implement all of Dr. Mata’s suggestions, both Dr. Mata and Strange feel the company already is in a stronger position to weather the upcoming rainy season and the lightning which will no doubt accompany it. "We expect ‘lightning damage’ not be a part of the projected expenses in Panhandle Growers’ budget next year," said Dr. Mata.
Strange agrees. "We hope to save more than $5,000 a year in equipment, not to mention savings in man power. We also anticipate that our work environment will be much safer because our employees won’t have to unplug equipment every time a storm approaches," he said. "Instead of dreading thunderstorms, we’re actually looking forward to them to see how well SATOP’s recommendations work."