The desire to automate segments of the tree fruit industry isn’t new. At its formation, as far back as the 1960s, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission made examining the potential for substituting technology for labor a research priority. by Mike Willett Interest and effort in orchard automation has ebbed and surged over the years, largely driven by changes in industry anxiety levels regarding U.S. immigration policy and demographic realities outside our borders. Early attempts to mechanize tasks such as apple harvest were limited by an inability to quickly pick and deliver fruit free of damage. Also, the late 1960s […]