Automation Geared To Help Move the Needle for Fruit Growers in the New Year
January 10, 2023 Happy New Year! At this time last year, we were ringing in 2022 with suggestions of best-practice resolutions, courtesy of Extension specialists across the country. This January we are turning to U.S. produce industry suppliers for New Year predictions. Prevalent in their responses is the topic of automation and technology and their positive effect on increasing labor costs and shortages:
“We expect more and more growers to move in the direction of automation and technology, specifically in cultivation and harvest. With the decreased availability and increased cost of labor, there is a need for labor-saving equipment to offset these pressures. The number of machines and technology available to growers is increasing dramatically.” — Joseph Sutton, Operations Manager, Sutton Agricultural Enterprises
“Necessity is the mother of innovation, and 2022 [was] the inflection year for the fresh produce supply chain. Margin of error for most stakeholders has narrowed significantly due to multiple supply chain, labor, and climate change challenges the industry has been facing the last three years. The industry now internalizes that it must transform the way it runs quality assurance — making it more objective, consistent, and preferably with 50% less of labor requirements — in order to dramatically reduce quality mismatches between sellers and buyers.” — Elad Mardix, CEO, Clarifruit
“If we learned anything during the COVID pandemic, it was the vulnerability of the supply chain and labor market. Currently, growers are reaching out to us more than ever for help to find solutions to labor shortages on the farm. They are facing challenges with increased labor cost, fewer number of people willing to work in the field, and a growing trend of laborers walking off the job during the season. This is placing an enormous burden on the farm managers, who often must work nights, running from field to field operating pumps and changing valve sets during irrigation. Cloud-based automation allows the farmer manager to control, monitor, and manage more than ever before with fewer people.” — Josh Brown; CID Director of Sales, Irrigation-Mart
“Growers across the board tell [us] that labor is their No. 1 issue. Labor costs have skyrocketed, and some regions now have an eight-hour workday. Increased hourly rates and now overtime is hard to absorb. The labor shortage is hard to navigate, and local labor is drying up. Many [growers] are willing to invest in automation if it is available because this isn’t a short-term problem. We are working with several companies that are developing autonomous vehicles that will perform duties like spraying, mowing, and harvest assist.” — Willie Hartman, President, OnTarget Spray Systems
“Utilizing drones for agriculture is becoming more widespread as the technology develops. The various facets of drone technology are constantly advancing, pushing the previous limits on battery capacities, flight distances, and coverage accuracy. Combining biological control agents with drone delivery systems is growing rapidly and will likely continue expanding for many years to come.” — Cody Seals, U.S. Product Manager, Beneficial Insectary
The staff at American Fruit Grower wishes each of you the best in 2023. If we can be of any help, and if you have any interesting story ideas to offer, please let me know.
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