Drive to Cut Fruit Grower Costs Drives Harvest Innovation
In talking with growers this season from his base in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), Gregg Marrs could feel tensions rising as the crops continued, reports Growing Produce.
“Our growers are most concerned about enough labor to harvest their crops,” says the owner of Blueline Manufacturing and Equipment, Yakima, WA. “Mechanical harvesters for grapes and fruit are of the most interest at this time. Blueline is manufacturing harvesting machines for apples, grapes, and berries. We also import machines from five European countries to harvest these same crops.”
Blueline is on the front edge of using new technology in farm equipment, Marrs says, and it maintains that edge by constantly talking to growers not only in the PNW but also throughout the U.S. and around the world.
“We attend many international farm equipment shows in Europe to see how those countries are incorporating new technology, such as new sensors, cameras, and robotics,” he says. “Advancements in artificial intelligence and other technologies are advancing very fast.”
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The new technology is most welcome, as Marrs says there is little doubt the agricultural labor shortage, which is being felt around the world, is going to become more acute.
“I see the lack of a stable, dependable labor pool as agriculture’s largest obstacle to profitability in the future,” he says. “We will continue to work to develop ways to increase worker productivity and grower profitability.”
Continue reading at Growing Produce.
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