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Presented at monthly CASC meeting November 2009
Citation preview
Comprehensive Automationfor Specialty Crops
ShowcaseNovember 19th, 2009
Sociological Implications of the CASC Project
Katie Ellis, Tara Baugher, and Karen Lewis
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 3
• Assess specific stakeholder concerns early– Non-threatening, confidential
• Help outreach efforts – put in context applicable to interests of each group
• Determine differences in regional attitudes & practices• Help decrease technology adoption lag times and speed up
rollout• See how farm size/revenue affect potential adoption
Why do socioeconomic analyses?
8 yr lag to early adoption/15 yrs to full adoption From Alston, Norton, and Pardey Science
Under Scarcity,1995.
Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention
Full Socioeconomic Survey & TurningPoint Instant Response Surveys
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 6
• Paper surveys: 65 (PA), 8 (NY); 75% Owners– 72% participation in PA
• TurningPoint survey participants: 25 (PA), 36 (NY); Owners (NY: 72%, PA: 43%)
• Greatest need: harvesting, spraying, monitoring yield, quality, plant/soil/water/nutrient status
• Moderate needs in thinning, tree training, and pruning• Low need for technological advancement in mowing
Eastern Surveys
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 7
• Benefits of harvest assist technologies:– Increased worker productivity (NY)– Reduced cost (PA)
• Main obstacle: cost• Would increase adoption rate of automated disease & insect
monitoring innovations:– Validation of efficiency for finding & treating spot problems early– Economic analysis demonstrating affordability
TurningPoint: Anticipated Benefits
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 8
• Participant’s farm enterprise information• Needs/potentials for automation and sensor tech in specialty
crops• Potential benefits of harvest assist technology• Potential benefits of automated disease detection & pest
monitoring• Potential benefits of automation for monitoring plant stress• Benefits of fully automated harvest• Specific orchard planting system information
Full Survey Themes
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 9
Acreage
Num
ber o
f Res
pond
ents
700+600-700500-600400-500300-400200-300100-2000-100
25
20
15
10
5
0
Total acreage managed by each participant
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 10
0 1 2 3 4 5
EconomyFuel costs
Labor regulationsLabor costs
TaxesWater availability
Water costsQuaratine regulations
Workers' compensationInsurance costs
Environmental regulationsMarket conditions
No impact Significant impact
Impact of outside factors on orchard business
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 11
• To improve precision & efficiency:– Fruit thinning*– Harvesting*– Pruning– Spraying
• To improve environmental stewardship & sustainability:– Spraying*– Thinning– Monitoring water & nutrient status
• Least need: tree training, mowing
Areas of Greatest Need
Highest need scores
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 12
• Increased workforce productivity• Improved management of harvest operations• Reduced costs• Other ideas:– Increased labor pool by eliminating heavy lifting– Better quality fruit (faster shipment to consumers)– Improved employee health
Anticipated Benefits of Harvest Assist
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 13
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Equipment reliability
Need for mechanical expertise on farm
Damage to fruit
Cost
Decreased employee retention
Decreased safety
Reduced control over management of harvest
Equipment availability
Lack of equipment flexibility
Need for specialized training
Perceived obstacles to adoption of harvest assist
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 14
• Maximum equipment price justified by 30-40% increase in efficiency of harvest employees– Median: $35,000
• Maximum equipment price justified by 10-15% increase in fruit packout– Median: $25,000
• Significant correlation between participant’s annual orchard revenue and the maximum price justified for harvest efficiency (ρ = 0.509, df = 50, I = 0.0002)
Equipment Price Justification
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 15
• 79% agreed that a fire blight vision & detection system would help in removing blighted shoots and avoiding tree loss
• Most indicated that they would, at minimum, use the same number of insect traps if reliable imaging systems were available– Many would also increase the number of traps, up to 70 additional units
per pest
Automated Insect/Disease Monitoring
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 16
• 80% aware of orchard pockets requiring more or less water and nutrient inputs than average blocks
• 70% felt that imaging systems for water stress and nutrient deficiency would help improve their orchard management
Monitoring Plant Stress
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 17
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Equipment reliability
Need for specialized training
Reduced fruit quality
Cost
Perceived obstacles to adoption of fully automated harvest
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 18
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
More efficient fruit thinning
Improved preparation for harvest and fruit storage
Accurate pre-harvest projections of crop volume and fruit size
Improved management of orchard inputs
Perceived obstacles to adoption of fully automated harvest
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 19
• Orchards with higher annual revenues have a higher justifiable price point and are more likely to be early adopters
• Internal fruit feeder pressure in the East is generally low; however, nearly 100% of respondents that regularly trap are willing to try the same number of automated traps
• Advanced technologies in tree training & mowing are lowest in priority for those surveyed
Implications
Presidents Day Fruit Grower Educational Meeting
Adams County, PAAbridged Survey Version
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 21
• 57% owners, 39% managers/employees• 39% participation rate• Compared to full survey takers, participants did not see as
much potential for increased employee retention• Equipment reliability was generally seen as a more influential
factor than in the full survey– Obstacle would be overcome with easily repairable machinery– Equipment complexity not a concern
• Overall, equipment cost is a major concern
Abridged Survey Results
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 22
• Suggestions for overcoming potential obstacles to adoption of harvest assist:– We need to know today how to plant our blocks so mechanization is
possible in ~10 yrs– Multiple crop adaptability– Make it gentle on fruit and at a reasonable cost– When rolling out technology, address these first: cost and equipment
expertise needed
Selected Comments
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 23
• Overcoming obstacles to adoption of fully automated harvest:– Affordability for the small grower– Proof of capabilities in field demonstrations– Design equipment that can operate on slopes– Can multiple growers share the technology?– Not of interest to me
Selected Comments
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 24
• How should orchard planting systems be modified for compatibility with technologies?– Narrow, consistent canopies from the ground to the top of the tree– [Due to many orchard variables], this is going to be a tough issue. I see
the use of automated traps as something everyone could implement right away, without orchard modifications
– The two need to be developed together– Dwarfing rootstock for all crops
Selected Comments
Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops 25
• Survey of Northwestern growers by Karen Lewis this winter
Upcoming
Thank you.