1/5/09 Mechanizing the Orchard Part 2

Mechanizing Orchard Tasks Part 2. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Sometime it takes a unique perspective to solve a problem. Vince Bryan with Picker Technologies spent a good deal of time as a Seattle neurosurgeon where he helped develop an artificial cervical spinal disc. This kind of expertise has allowed Bryan to focus on another issue, orchard mechanization. The primary concerns are that while pickers are fairly efficient, they tire and there is greater concern for culls. BRYAN: I have been troubled by the large number of culls left in the field to rot because of minor defects or left to rot on the trees because of inadequate size or color. Bryan has also been a fruit grower in Washington State for 27 years and he knows what kind of cost that is. His new invention still uses hand pickers but some issues have been resolved. BRYAN: The old problem was and is wasted time due to non-picking chores required of the picker such as selection of the fruit to be picked or discarded; walking to and delivering fruit into the bins; moving, positioning and climbing ladders altogether with fatigue having to support the equivalent of 4 tons of fruit on ones shoulders during the course of the day. Typically pickers go up and down ladders while placing fruit in bags hanging from their shoulders until the bag is full. BRYAN: Thus the primary challenge in tree fruit harvest mechanization is to develop a means by which the pickers hand is not interrupted by other chores or fatigue factors so that the picking process can continue in an uninterrupted fashion. We'll finish up tomorrow. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.