By Clint Thompson
Automated harvesters are the future for Florida blueberry growers. Some would argue they are also the present, as producers must deviate from the status quo in hopes of remaining sustainable.
Still, producers who have not yet embraced the technology, need to remember there are certain caveats that accompany machine harvesters.
One of the main components to remember is its use is mostly restricted to nighttime use. Cooler temperatures must be present, so fruit quality does not suffer.
“You can machine pick during the day if the temperature is lower. On the front end of the season, you can do that,” said Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States. “On the back end, temperatures are up. One of the big challenges for the Rabbiteye guys in Georgia is they’re picking their fruit in June. Even though it’s a tough berry, that’s a really warm temperature. Nighttime lends itself for cooler temperatures, which leads to fruit quality being better.”
However, that can present challenges for farmers who have to conduct work at inopportune times.
“You just don’t want to pick during the heat of the day with the sun baking on that berry. We try to not be out in the fields picking if it’s over 80 degrees,” said Florida grower Kyle Straughn. “You can’t pick them when they’re wet, so you get out there in the morning as the dew dries; you’ve got an hour or two before lunch time and then you send those guys home and tell them to come back around dark. That’s challenging when there’s plenty of work during the day to get on that night schedule, for me and everybody else.”
Straughn and Atwood were part of a grower panel during a blueberry meeting in Citra, Florida on March 6.
Long-Term Value
Despite the short-term headache that timing of machine harvesters bring, there’s no denying their long-term value. Growers can reduce their reliance on H-2A labor and high prices of the adverse effect wage rate.
“I think we can’t compete internationally without it. I do believe at some point in time there will not be a commercial industry without it,” said Straughn, who has used mechanical harvesters for almost 20 years. “Luckily, it is here, and we are doing it. But it’s our only chance to compete with international labor rates.”