Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/196125
photo by richard Lehnert A crew of five works the harvester—four on two platforms picking McIntosh from the tops of the trees and one monitoring the apples in the bin and changing the bin when it is full. Empty bins are on the trailer (from which this photo was shot). THE PERILS ARE GREAT Some other changes were made this year in the chamber containing the apple decelerator, Rasch said, making it smoother and wider using ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic. The material is super slippery and highly resistant to wear. The drive on the decelerator wheels and the pinwheel fan distributer filling the bin has been separated into two drives so the speed of each can be controlled independently. Fortunately, so are our crop insurance agents. Like everyone else at Northwest Farm Credit Services, our crop insurance agents live and breathe agriculture. They're immersed in it every day. That's a tremendous advantage Quieter Changes made more than a year ago have tamed the sound of the vacuum generator, making it quiet enough so workers can talk to each other without raising their voices. One worker on the ground, monitoring apple quality as the bin fills and changing the bin when it is full, can talk to workers on the platform without shouting. The trailer behind the harvester handles eight bins, stacked four long and two deep, on a deck about five feet high. When a bin is full, the decelerator and apple distributor is raised and the full bin lowered to the ground. The machine moves ahead about six feet, and a new bin is lowered down and positioned in the fill location by hand. The filled bin stays in place while the trailer moves over it. It takes about a minute to change bins, Brown said. Pickers do not pick during that time since there is no place to put the apples other than into the picking "sack" attached to the vacuum hoses. Rasch said the crews at Riveridge work for 11½ hours on the machine, taking a half hour off for lunch. A night crew could keep the machine at work 23 hours a day. "I really want to see what the worker response is," he said. "In the Riveridge use this year, we'll see what a crew can do as it gains experience with the machine. So far, they don't seem overworked by it. The crew yesterday wanted to stay on to do the night shift as well." That was the first test of night work. Fruit quality has been excellent, Rasch said, even working in the early thin-skinned varieties like Blondee and McIntosh. Most of the bruising is finger marks, just as sometimes occurs with hand picking. • www.goodfruit.com when you consider the nature of complex, ever-changing Trudi Kochendordfer insurance programs. Senior Insurance Agent Fact is, risks abound – from adverse weather to a drop in market prices – and you need an insurance partner with expertise, knowledge and commitment, every step of the way. Give us a call today. Your only risk is waiting. nor thwestfcs.com | 800.743.2125 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Good Fruit Grower NOVEMBER 2013 23