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  • April 1st 2011 Issue

    • Packer takes a big step forward

    Washington Fruit has one of the largest and most modern apple packing lines for the moment.

    Robots scan the barcodes of packed boxes of apples and stack 49 on each pallet, ready for shipping. Photos by Geraldine Warner The owners of Washington Fruit and Produce Company have a vision of the apple industry of the future. There will be bigger crops but fewer packers. Food safety and traceability will be more critical, buyers will be more demanding about fruit quality, and worker safety regulations will require electric forklifts. Their new $30-million apple packing facility at River Road, Yakima, Washington, is designed to address all those issues and more. In fact, company president Rick Plath believes it’s […]

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    Picture of Geraldine Warner
    Geraldine Warner
    Geraldine Warner was the editor of Good Fruit Grower from 1992-2015. During her tenure, she planned and prepared editorial content, wrote for the magazine, and managed the editorial team. Read her stories: Story Index
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