After using a hail cannon at his Lake Chelan, Washington, orchard for seven years, Doug ­Willcox considered it a sound investment, though he’s quick to admit there’s no scientific proof that it worked. Between 1996 (when he and his partner Shannon Kollmeyer installed the cannon) and 2003 (when they ripped out their orchard for development), they were satisfied with the results, he said. In the precannon days they never had devastating hail, but hailstorms would consistently damage fruit in a corner of the orchard. “After we installed the cannon in 1996, we never again had any measurable amount of hail […]