Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/298602
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MAY 1, 2014 31 FOUR POINTS to keep in mind J erry Haak offered the following advice for growers who want their orchards to be both efficient and productive. 1 The bottom line is production. If the technology does not help increase production, it's not useful. 2 Don't change your process to fit the technology; use technology that fits the operational procedures already in place. 3 Don't be quick to implement something that promises to make things "easier" or "more effi- cient" for you. Certain aspects of the process are hard for a reason, and this "easier" process comes with its own set of complications. It likely requires the development of different skills or processes that will be time-consuming to learn. 4 Employers will have a hard time finding and retaining skilled labor if they fail to recognize the importance of having a supportive work environment. Haak had a very dedicated team of employees who had worked for him for many years, which was extremely rare in the tree fruit industry. He credited this to the relationships management developed with the employees. They enjoyed working there because they felt appreciated and important. —G. Warner "You have to create your system so that the people will want to work there," he said. "When you're picking a hundred bins per acre, it's not difficult to have a lot of people come to your place to work, even if your piece rate per unit is less than a neighbor who's picking the same variety but on a 12- by 18- or 20- by 20-spacing." Pickers expect to earn a certain amount per day, so it's up the farmer to figure out how many units it takes to get to that level, he said. It's much easier to reach that level in a highly productive orchard, where pickers don't have to climb tall l adders. Competition Verbrugge, owner of Valley Fruit Orchards, said that with more and more orchards generating yields of 80 to 100 bins per acre, the need for pickers is increasing, and so is competition among growers. Even though an orchardist might be able to offer employment from spring through mid-November, workers often respond to the lure of better pay elsewhere. It's particularly difficult to attract workers to orchards that are not visible from roads. Verbrugge recruits workers through the H-2A federal guest-worker program rather than leave it to chance. He thinks mechanical harvesting tools need to be considered, too. "It's silly that we invest $20,000 to $30,000 an acre and wait for a sign on the side of the road to finish off what we've invested in," he said. "You've got to get that fruit picked on time, so it's important to have the people." Armock, president of Riveridge Pro- duce Marketing, said growers need to make sure they're the employer of choice and meet the employees' goals as well as their own. For example, many growers pay an end-of-season bonus, but Armock said there are other things they can do that don't cost a lot, like understanding and respecting the workers' culture and being considerate. • Jerry Haak explains his cherry training system during a summer tour at his orchard in 2011. PHOTO BY GERALDINE WARNER