10/01/07 Advance in the Orchard

Advances in the Orchard. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Noel Adkins is the Northern Farmer with Dovex Orchards in Wenatchee, Washington where they have been experimenting with ways to increase productivity while cutting down on labor. Labor has been an increasing issue as the harvest progresses. ADKINS: We have been short of a labor a little bit and then get a little gush in and feel real good and then I finish that variety and two days later I'm short again and so it's been quite a wild ride on getting a stable workforce and it just encourages me more to work on alternatives. Those alternatives include a couple of picking platforms that alleviate the need for going up and down on a ladder while carrying a bag of apples. ADKINS: That's one issue we get rid of with the one style of machine. There are two styles of machines. One where it has conveyers leading to fill the bin and so the people don't even have to wear a bag or anything they just get up into their position and the worst thing is twisting around and reaching to pick the fruit but everything else is relieved off of them. These styles of platforms were developed in Europe where the orchards are designed differently. ADKINS: In Italy it's more the flat platforms where a bin is placed up on there and the people pick into a bag or into a bucket and then they put them over into a bin. That's how they do nectarine and peach there and this machine we have is built in Holland and they have very narrow rows and are working with this conveyor system. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.