While not exactly new anywhere, mechanical hedging is seeing a youthful surge on both sides of the U.S. as a way for fruit growers to improve fruit quality and produce a more consistent product. Indeed, hedgers also reduce labor costs, but more importantly, they may improve canopy management, boost yields and help growers produce better fruit, not cheaper fruit, said Karen Lewis, a Washington State University regional extension specialist in Moses Lake, Washington. “You do not buy this piece of equipment to save time and money,” she said. “You purchase this machine to put into your toolbox for crop load […]