With beds shaped, dripline installed, mulch laid, and fumigation en route, a strawberry grower’s next concern is when to burn or punch holes before planting. Hole preparation can be time consuming and therefore costly work, requiring large labor crews to accomplish. Using rudimentary tools, a single worker can burn holes for two acres in a … Continue reading Heated Hole Puncher Ready for Field Use
Automation
Grower/PCA Round Table: Santa Maria Lygus Bug discussion summary
Figure 1. Lygus bug discussion focused on management issues held in Santa Maria on Nov 1, 2022. (Photo by Miriam Mendez) A small round table meeting was hosted by the California Strawberry Commission (CSC) in Santa Maria to help mediate a discussion on concerns of high lygus bug populations (Fig. 1). Both Cal Poly Strawberry … Continue reading Grower/PCA Round Table: Santa Maria Lygus Bug discussion summary
An Automated Harvesting Update: Harvest CROO Robotics, Traptic, and Advanced Farms
Harvest costs represent over 70% of operating costs/acre to produce strawberries in California (UC Davis Cost Study, 2021). With the passing of SB-3 minimum wage increase requirements in 2016, the California Strawberry Commission has recognized labor-saving automation as the industry's leading research priority. By 2018, there were three companies pursuing automated harvesting in California: Harvest … Continue reading An Automated Harvesting Update: Harvest CROO Robotics, Traptic, and Advanced Farms