Technology In South America

Technology In South America. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

We as American’s think that we are on the top of the curve when it comes to technology but in reality we’re running fast to keep up. Ray Schmitten with McDougall & Sons discusses technology and how it has improved in South America.

SCHMITTEN: I have not hooked my horse to technology very often. I’m a pear grower, got hundred year old trees and so why am I talking about technology in South America? Well I visited last year and I noticed some technology and they’re moving quite along and I’ve brought a lot of Chilean growers up this way and showed them what we were doing and I thought-boy, they’ve got a lot to learn.

He says it appears they have learned a lot recently.

SCHMITTEN: They’re moving ahead of us rapidly. I am a pear grower so I spent a little more time in Argentina than I spent in Chile and I saw a lot of exciting stuff in Argentina dealing with pears. The whole area has large fruit economies, they’re highly dependent on labor. That’s what’s going to get us all, labor. We’re going to need technology to get us past that.

He says they are highly dependent on export markets.

SCHMITTEN: They have to export. How do you export a Bartlett pear clear across the ocean when you know that baby’s going to ripen and turn yellow quick. Well, technology is going to get them there.

Schmitten was one of a group of fruit industry experts who spoke at the recent Hort Convention on technology around the world. More on Monday.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.