Mechanized Assisted Harvesting with Rachel Elkins and Stavros Vougioukas

Labor costs in California are high and continue to rise. Nut crops are less affected by this, since most operations are fully mechanized, however fruit must still be hand picked. Rachel Elkins and Stavros Vougioukas share some of the work they’ve done with picking platforms to reduce harvest costs for peaches and pears.

Links to two of Rachel’s powerpoints can be found here: http://cemadera.ucanr.edu/Agriculture/Pomology/Mechanized_harvest_powerpoints/?editon=1

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Pickers on a platform. This photo and the splash photo are courtesy of Stavros Vougioukas.

Orchards must be planted and trained in a way to assist mechanized harvests. Photo courtesy of Rachel Elkins