Project Description
The Big Issue
Orchards designed for efficient harvest
Michael Zingler stands next to a planting of SweeTango in its third leaf and describes the reasoning behind the design of the orchard: Efficient use
An oddly grand apple
Grand Gala apples (right) weigh about 50 percent more and are 15 percent bigger in diameter than other Gala strains. That Gala apple
Bin hauler becomes orchard platform
The Bin Bandit hauls bins during the harvest season, and a platform sits on it for use in thinning, pruning, and tree training. A machinery
Tree IVs?
This injector was tested with apple trees. Might the airblast sprayer in the future be replaced by IV tubes jabbed in fruit trees? Michigan State
Pruning is key in cherry production
David Geen (in red) discusses his pruning philosophy to an international group that visited his orchard. Pictured with him are (from left) Hank Markgraf,
Fruit survey coming up
Starting in December, Washington State tree fruit and grape growers will be asked for information on their acreage, varieties, and rootstocks for an industrywide survey
Nurseries need a tree counter
Robotics scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania set out to develop a device to automatically measure the caliper of nursery trees in the field,
Cherry harvest shifts later
Christine Dendy (left) shows Debbie Becker and an international group of cherry industry people around her packing house at East Kelowna. At one
Platform transforms orchard work
Tom DeMarree bought this Blosi platform and uses it for many tasks, including installing trellis wire. Workers crimp stabilizer wires onto trellis wires. The stabilizer
Destiny Ridge Vineyard puts the wind to work
Jarrod Boyle, winemaker at Alexandria Nicole Cellars and managing partner of Destiny Ridge Vineyards, likes the looks of the new turbines. The vertical wind turbines
REAP can benefit orchardists
Fruit growers have been less likely than other farmers to tap into funds available under the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), but some
Electric-tractor maker gears up
Steve Heckeroth had a number of potential buyers for his crawler tractor when the price of gas and diesel was high. Alternative-energy enthusiast Steve Heckeroth
KC Bailey Farms taps wind and sun for power
This shiny new roof is covered with 110 photovoltiac solar panels that will provide 25-kilowatt power capacity for the cold storage behind it. Chip and
Large art for small farms
An illustration of what John Maher’s ladder artwork will look like. Artist John Maher of Mosier, Oregon, is turning his talents to creating a huge
Revolution for INNOVATION
Trellis posts in New York are vibrated in, not pounded, using down pressure from a loader and a vibrating cam. Growers in western New York
WSU seeks to fund priority programs
Dr. Jay Brunner Washington State University will officially announce a major fundraising campaign this month to fund priority programs. The university aims to raise a
Wine science center campaign begins
A Washington State University wine science center could be near reality within two years. A fundraising campaign to raise private and public funds to build
More quantity than quality in China
Chinese packers have been unable to convince growers to update orchards to improve yields and color. Shandong growers are unwilling to lose production in the
Fruit region is electric vehicle hub
The days of 30-cents-per-gallon gasoline are long gone, but new electric vehicles can run on the equivalent of that in areas of the country where
Legislative outlook shifts for ag employers
There is great concern and interest in what the outcome of the midterm elections means for agricultural employers. We know there will be both opportunities
Breeders seek input from supply chain
The apple, cherry, peach, and strawberry breeding activities of RosBREED are located across the United States at university, federal, and private sector locations. What do
Carbon footprints: How do apples fare?
This tree in a plastic wrapping is being used to collect and measure gases—oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. This experiment is to measure water
Maintain a hierarchy in tree framework
The framework of these 12-year-old Packham trees (2,082 trees per hectare) on mini-Tatura is simple and very productive (55 to 61 tonnes per hectare annually,
Same wine, softer tannins
Stems, leaves, seeds, shot berries, and other material end up in a dump truck to be later composted. Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery’s Joshua Maloney says
Electric vehicle has power
Karen Lewis and Gwen Hoheisel (standing) demonstrate how an electric utility vehicle can be used for herbicide spraying with the WeedSeeker technology. Karen Lewis and
The Monster MASH
As grapes vibrate across the MOG separating table, seeds and shot berries fall through the screen. The bar in the front is a newly added
New owner at Lamont Fruit Farm
Rod Farrow, who has worked for and with George Lamont for 30 years, took complete ownership of Lamont Fruit Farm last summer. Complete
Last Bite — The rise and fall of the fruit box label
As this is the last article in this series, I decided to provide a brief overview of the history of the fruit box label, as
Vacuum harvester passes bruising tests
Critical components of the DBR harvester are the vacuum tubes (green ones carry apples), the decelerator wheels (circular steel), and the elephant-ear fruit distributor (fan-like
How do platforms impact workers?
Kit Galvin of the University of Washington explains how she is studying the health impacts of platform work. Rolf Luehs (on the platform), research assistant
The Aussie Bush for cherries
To get cherry trees into production quickly and produce large firm cherries, it is generally accepted that we must: • Grow each tree close to its
More cherries in the pipeline
New, late-maturing cherry varieties developed in British Columbia, Canada, have helped keep the province’s cherry growers in business. “At one stage, the cherry industry was
Mechanical thinner for green peaches
The Bin Bandit hauls bins during the harvest season, and a platform sits on it for use in thinning, pruning, and tree training. Todd Furber
Eliminating LADDERS
The picking platform has two conveyors—one from the upper level and one from the lower level—that meet at the sorting area. The worker on
Farming THE SUN
Sol Orchard installed this one-megawatt solar panel project for California’s Victor Valley College. Imagine a crop without worries of labor, pests, rain during harvest, and