Mechanization meets with skepticism
Several prominent Washington tree fruit grower-shippers say they foresee labor shortages but are not banking on mechanization and robotic harvesters
Robots look cost effective
When the citrus industry began to pursue the idea of a robotic harvesting system several years ago, it had plenty
Undercover apples
A British Columbia, Canada, orchard is pioneering crop tunnels for apple --production. Raymond and Sonja Barker of Silverhill Orchard in
Pear industry survey launched
A large-scale survey of the Pacific Northwest pear industry began in January to gather information on what the industry might
Good Question
Ed Wittenbach Belding, Michigan "Hottest variety." The optimal orchard starts with the hottest variety out there, said Belding, Michigan, grower
Sensing good fruit
Dr. Renfu Lu is using multispectral-based prototype sorting equipment to determine internal apple quality. There's new interest in technology for
Whatever happened to…
Four years have passed since voters threw out Washington State's ergonomics rule; it's been six years since the federal standard
Let there be light
Light can improve the yield and productivity of an apple orchard in two ways, according to Dr. Jens-Norbert Wünsche of
Last Bite
Organized in 1901, the California Fruit Exchange, a marketing cooperative of independent fruit growers and shippers, sold its products under
Good Point
In the December issue of Good Fruit Grower, Washington State University announced an upcoming fruit school on Competitive Orchard Systems