ISHS Acta Horticulturae 903: IX International Symposium on Integrating Canopy, Rootstock and Environmental Physiology in Orchard Systems
COMPARING THE ECONOMICS OF MECHANICAL AND TRADITIONAL SWEET CHERRY HARVEST |
| Authors: | C.F. Seavert, M.D. Whiting |
| Keywords: | Prunus avium, net present value, returns, cash costs, discount rate, cost of production |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.903.101 |
| Abstract:
In the western United States, the cost of skilled labor for sweet cherry harvest continues to increase while the availability of this workforce declines. Tremendous competition for harvest labor exists and improving labor efficiency is a critical research need. We compared the economics of harvesting sweet cherries manually vs. mechanically. Data were collected from harvesting entire rows of Y-trellised ‘Bing’ sweet cherries by machine or hand near Prosser, Washington, between 2005 and 2008. Our preliminary analyses reveal potential advantages to a mechanical harvest system. Machine harvest costs were $0.04/kg compared to $0.55/kg for hand harvest. The net present value (after establishing a high-density orchard) utilizing traditional hand labor to harvest fruit, was $148,748 per ha . However, the net present value with the same assumptions except that a mechanical harvester was used during harvest was $233,981 per ha . Utilizing a mechanical harvester could reduce the breakeven price to establish an orchard by $0.37/kg ($2.20 minus $1.83). We concluded from this analysis, pedestrian and mechanically harvested systems will return more money to the grower than the traditional orchard system. | |
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