Fruit Growers News

Let Them Play Video Games?

It’s a shame, really. The things people admire about Hispanic workers ¬– the solid work ethic and strong family values ¬– can come back and bite everybody ¬– the employers, the workers, the do-gooders and the politically correct hypocrites. In this day of interactive journalism, the black eyes really get spread around. This happened the last week of October. ABC News aired “undercover” film that showed children picking blueberries and toting buckets at Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Co. in South Haven, Mich. Four college journalism students shot the “children toiling” film after they were given permission to enter the fields by an Adkin employee who thought it was really nice that these college kids were doing a project to explain how blueberry farms work. The “testimonial” brought the Department of Labor to the farm, and the DOL levied fines. ABC’s Charlie Gibson introduced the “shameful” happening, and Brian…  » Read more

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A Nifty Sucker: Vacuum Machine Harvests Fresh-Market Apples

A vacuum-cleaner-like machine that boosts apple picker productivity by 25 percent, cuts the level of bruising in half compared to hand picking and can use less experienced, less physically robust workers was demonstrated in a Michigan orchard Nov. 6, and it brought rave reviews from growers and industry experts who turned out to watch. The machine was developed by Phil Brown, owner of Phil Brown Welding, located on Fruit Ridge in Conklin, working with neighboring apple grower and machine designer Mike Rasch and Mike’s cousin Chuck Dietrich, an oil industry engineering consultant. The demonstration, which drew about 50 people loaded with cameras and video recorders, took place in Rasch’s Rome apple orchard. “I think we have an apple harvester,” said Phil Schwallier, the Michigan State University Extension horticulturist who worked with the developers to evaluate its performance. “I think this is a major breakthrough.” Two novel pieces of…  » Read more

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Pioneer Land-Grant U Faces Restructuring

Michigan State University has long prided itself in being the pioneer land-grant university, having taking on the mission of agricultural education at its founding in 1855 ¬– seven years before the Morrill Act officially created the land-grant system. Now, it appears, MSU will pioneer once again. Caught between a rock and a hard place, it pledged to restructure and address new state needs. And it was do or die, literally. MSU released a statement on Oct. 28 announcing MSU Extension’s realignment as part of the university-wide “Shaping the Future” initiative. It highlighted the results of a strategic planning process that the organization undertook to maintain its responsiveness to meeting the state’s needs during challenging economic times. Two days later, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the state’s budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, a day before a continuing resolution funding state government was set to expire. The budget…  » Read more

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