The way Mark Hanrahan envisions his new cherry block, there’ll be no ladders or even platforms around during harvest. For his second-leaf Santina planting on Gisela 5 rootstocks, he’s using the Upright Fruiting Offshoots (UFO) system developed by Dr. Matt Whiting, horticulturist with Washington State University in Prosser. Whiting’s goal was to devise a cherry training system that could accommodate new technologies, such as mechanical aids, and be more efficient in terms of light interception. The crop develops on upright shoots fastened to a trellis. Though Hanrahan might use platforms for some types of work in the block, he expects […]