Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/668668
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower MAY 1, 2016 21 spend money on new technology is a difficult one. "We don't have large budgets, so we have to make every dollar count as much as we can." Even buying something like a tractor at today's prices is a financial stretch, he said, and growers must consider whether new equipment will fit into their orchards. "We're farming old ground," he said. "I have orchards that are a hundred years old. A hundred years ago, they didn't think of these things. We have big canopies and limited spaces. We're looking at our orchards and trying to figure out how fast can we change architecturally to get to a critical mass where some of this technology fits. These are hard decisions to make." Godwin has a regular renewal program, planting some new orchard every year to stay updated while spreading out the capital investment. This also helps him keep cur- rent with the costs of trees, posts and wires, for example. "If you're not doing it on a regular basis, it's hard to budget and to get information, especially when you're isolated up in the north away from the bigger chunk of the industry," he said. "One of the advantages of farm- ing in the north is that there are no giant neighboring orchards competing for labor and other resources. "But that's changing," he added. "The marijuana industry is taking off, and I think in the future that could be a competition for resources." Godwin is hoping that by the time robotic harvesting becomes available within the next few years, he will have converted enough of his orchard to the right structure that automated harvesting will make sense for his opera- tion. "It's something we're excited about," he said. Vertical systems Mark Hanrahan, a cherry and pear grower in Buena, Washington, said mechanical harvesting is possible for cherries already, but only if the grower is willing to try to market them without stems. A mechanical harvester developed about 15 years ago by Dr. Don Peterson with the U.S. Department of Agriculture was designed for angled canopies. Cherries were loosened from their stems with Ethrel (ethephon) applications and would fall into the harvester's catching frame when the trees were shaken. Hanrahan, who will plant his first apple block next year, emphasized that platforms and other mechanical aids must be versatile so small growers with limited cap- ital can use them for multiple orchard operations. He's working toward having trees on vertical systems so they can be mechanically pruned and harvested. He believes a robotic harvester under development, which vacuums fruit from the trees, is a game changer and will require a vertical canopy. Capital budget Doornink asked the other panelists how they handle their capital budget and commented that he finds it a scary thing to put together a five-year capital budget with all the things he wants to do and their associated cost. Mark Stennes, who grows apples, pears and cherries with his family in Okanogan County, said he is moving from a labor-oriented budget to more of a capital bud- get, shifting from 65 percent for labor to 65 percent for equipment and technology. For the past 10 years he has been working to ensure their plantings will be conducive to robotics. Stennes said his father, Keith, and brother, Kevin, who are partners in the business, asked him last spring for a five-year capital budget. He put together a wish list that almost gave them a heart attack, he joked. There must be good harmony between the finance and operational sides of the business and shared goals, he stressed. Plans must be made five to 10 years ahead because nursery trees have to be ordered up to five years ahead of time, and it can be another five years before they come into full production. Godwin said several years ago he began making annual lists of proposed activities and acquisitions based on where he felt he needed to make changes and how soon. His plan took into account how big his operation could get before he had to build additional housing or when he would need to plant on lower ground that would require a wind machine. "Whatever plan we settle on, it has to pay its own way," he emphasized. "It's not like I have a big stash of money somewhere. It has to pencil out at the end of the day." •