A recent survey of Washington State apple growers suggests that orchard platforms are not widely used there. Just over 10 percent of respondents to a survey conducted last year by Washington State University said they were using platforms for orchard work. Unsuitable orchard structure was one of the main reasons given for not using them. The high purchase cost and the inability to use platforms on steep hills were also factors, reports Dr. Karina ­Gallardo, WSU agricultural economist. This suggests that platforms won’t be extensively adopted until high-density planting systems with trees forming a two-­dimensional plane are used on a […]