Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705612
24 AUGUST 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com Reyes estimated each man would make about $17 per hour that day on the platforms but would have made only $13- $14 per hour on the ground. That doesn't mean all domestic work- ers will resist mechanization. Some take no convincing at all. Nearby in Ephrata, Columbia Fruit Packers also has introduced self-steer- ing platforms at its Winchester Ranches orchard. Candy Giron, a four-year supervisor, could think of no employees unwilling to work from a platform while pruning Kanza apples in February. Giron, a mother of two from Moses Lake, cited safety as one her favorite benefi ts. "Sometimes when there was too much snow, you were more scared of falling or when the fl oor was too wet, the ladder dips in," Giron said. Giron's platform partner Jessica Medina, born and raised in California, also warmed to the idea of working from a platform right away. "You get tired of carrying the ladder all day," said Medina, also a mother of two. "You still get tired on here, but it's not the same as when you're carrying the ladder all day and you're bruised up from your ankles or from the front of your legs from banging on the ladder." • IFTA COVERAGE Mechanization is a key topic of the International Fruit Tree Association's summer tour in New York. Watch for coverage in forthcoming issues of Good Fruit Grower. ross CourTney/Good FruiT Grower Ismael Torres, center, a Stemilt supervisor, oversees a crew of H-2A laborers thinning Gala apples in June in Quincy, Washington. Torres has noticed H-2A workers more easily adjust to the teamwork required by platforms than local workers, who prefer to work solo on ladders. "If the group works together, they can make more money," Torres said. 800.253.4737 • volmcompanies.com Antigo, WI • • Idaho Falls, ID Pasco, WA Fresno, CA • Volm is an industry leader in flexographic printing, laminating, and converting film into premade pouches. Volm offers many options in size, material, format and features to create a package that is sure to increase the presence of your product on the shelf, including the new Half-N-Half Pouch. ® Call Volm to learn more about our products and how we're bringing fresh produce from packing facility to market shelf. World-Class Packaging... © 2015 Volm Companies, Inc. Half-N-Half Pouch ® ... Automated Solutions Move away from manual pouch filling with the Volmpack Kangaroo Pouch Bagger, available in a single and dual version. Simple to use and compact, the Kangaroo provides high speed bagging and sealing for common pouch style bags. ® Volmpack Kangaroo ® Pouch Bagger COMPANIES - your total solutions partner.