Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/705612
20 AUGUST 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com W hen it comes to plat- forms, crew supervisor Ismael Torres deals with two types of work- ers: Those who climb aboard and those who don't. In spite of the Stemilt foreman's preaching that the tools will make everybody safer, faster and richer, some employees simply want no part. They prefer working on the ground and using ladders. "I was just motivating them to try to see if it was going to work or not," Torres said through an interpreter. Platforms, mechanical thinners, hedgers and other tools of orchard efficiency make a lot of sense for growers and managers, but employees aren't always as excited. Many of them have spent a lifetime developing lightning quick skills that pay off under piece-rate wages, and they don't want to change. Multiple speakers discussed the issue at the February conference of the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They all stressed communication and training with employees during the transition. "Make sure that you spend and invest time in these people as well," said Rod Farrow, a New York grower and IFTA board member. "Working with them and machinery is often diffi cult, getting them to accept it and work with it. They're so used to what they are doing and so good at what they're doing, it is difficult to get the effi ciency gains. It's easy to do in Europe, not so easy here when guys are already picking 10 bins a day of good fruit." Miranda Sazo, a cultural practices specialist with the Cornell University Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program in Newark, New York, encouraged growers and managers to bring Spanish-speaking employees with them to conferences to help win over employees back home. Reasons to hesitate Several skeptical workers declined interviews with Good Fruit Grower, but Torres, 49, shared the concerns he's heard for the past several years as Stemilt has introduced self-driving platforms in its Quincy, Washington, orchards. Some reasons: On a platform, workers in crews of two, four or six all pick to fi ll the same bin, splitting the per-bin rate evenly come payday. After decades of working solo Centerpiece How to convince employees to switch from ladders to platforms. by Ross Courtney All aboard Crews of thinners atop three self-driven platforms work in June in a Stemilt Gala apple block in Quincy, Washington. Fostering