A machine that is billed as promising to increase kiwifruit yield and reduce costs will be make its Northland Field Days debut this week. Tired of watching pollen go to waste when pollinating his own kiwifruit vines, he came up with a machine that he says allows growers to use less pollen and increase fruit size and quality.
Category: Fruits
What labor shortage? Robot apple pickers on the way – Sun, 26 Feb 2017 PST
Worry over ag labor shortages could be a thing of the past if two engineering firms hit goals to market robotic fruit-picking machines by 2019. The two competing companies – Abundant Robotics Inc. in California and Israel-based FFRobotics – have plans to manufacture and market commercial robotic harvesters sometime in the next 18 to 24 months, representatives told a global audience of fruit growers here Thursday.
Arctic Apple could be Litmus test for future of GM foods, Rabobank analysts suggest
When the Arctic Apple hits select store shelves this month as one of the first products genetically modified for consumers’ benefit, it will serve as a line in the sand for the tug of war between the non-GMO movement and the future of food innovation. Okanagan Specialty Fruits, which developed the non-browning apple, will test consumers’ willingness to purchase produce that has been genetically modified specifically for their benefit – rather than for farmers as a pesticide and herbicide resistant plant – in 10 stores in the Midwest beginning this month.
Low demand, disease shrivel orange crop
Things keep getting worse for citrus growers in Florida, where crop disease and slowing demand continue to threaten what used to be a signature industry in the sunshine state. The state’s orange crop is poised to shrink to what could be the smallest harvest in five decades, according to Judy Ganes-Chase, president of J. Ganes Consulting in Panama City, Panama.
HPP baby food in a pouch is So Good
New So Good Baby refrigerated fruit and vegetable purees in a flexible, windowed pouch use HPP to preserve the flavor, nutrients, and color of the products while providing a 60-day shelf life. The High Pressure Processed baby food category has taken off, with entrepreneurs introducing fresh, refrigerated products with an extended shelf life for parents seeking more nutritious food choices for their babies.