Good Fruit Grower

November 2011

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(Continued from page 11 The electronic sorter, from the Dutch company Ellips, assesses size, color, and external defects (including bruising) and sorts the fruit into either a fresh fruit bin or a cull bin. It can identify 60 to 65 per- cent of the culls, and Albert said that with further camera enhancements the per- centage should increase to 85 or 90, while the percentage of good fruit that ends up in the cull bin should be less than 1 per- cent. From the sorting system, the fruit goes into a new type of bin filler that Picker Technologies designed, which has a verti- cal filling head, rather than rotary. The bin shifts back and forth and up and down while being filled, depending on the level of the fruit. Full bins are deposited behind the machine to be picked up by a forklift, and empty bins are loaded in the front. Real-time data on the quality and size dis- tribution of the apples in a bin can be printed in the field or sent electronically to the packer ahead of the fruit's arrival. Grower council Albert said the partners relied on input from a "growers council" while develop- ing the machine. Growers said they were looking to address the cost and potential lack of labor, and wanted to reduce the cost of handling unmarketable fruit. On average, between 15 and 20 percent of the apples that are taken to the warehouse are thrown away or sent on to a processor to be made into juice. "That's a big money loser," Albert observed. Removing culls in the field means that growers don't have to pay in-charges on them, and warehouses don't have to han- dle and store upackable fruit, Albert explained. Growers can take the culls directly to the processor. Though not a valuable commodity, they are worth more and incur less cost than if they are diverted from the warehouse. Return on investment The harvesting system is 7.5 feet wide at the bottom and has been tested in plantings with anywhere from a 10- to 16- foot row spacing. Twelve feet is consid- ered ideal. The chassis is on tracks, rather than wheels, making it easy to turn at the ends of the rows. Albert said the machine is a candidate for use on 70 percent of the total apple acreage in Washington State, and 95 percent of the modern plantings. The company declined to say how much it will cost. Albert said a grower who has at least 120 acres and a range of vari- eties with a total harvest period of 11 to 12 weeks stands to gain well over $1,000 per acre. Leasing possibilities are being explored. Albert said a harvesting system should pay for itself in two or three years, but, in the case of hail damage, it could pay for itself in one season by enabling picking and sorting the crop in the field. The machine can run 24 hours a day, as is fitted with lights. Because of its sort- ing capability, it's not critical for pickers to be able to clearly see color or defects. www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER NOVEMBER 2011 13 Vince Bryan III, a founding partner of Picker Technologies, said the system is also suitable for harvesting other tree fruit crops, such as pears and stone fruits. Transport tubes of an appropriate size can easily be fitted to the machine to handle a wide range of foods. The machines are constructed by Oxbo at its plant in Lynden, Washington. Oxbo manufactures the chassis and has the other components custom made. •

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