ASHS 2015 Annual Conference

Objective(s):
To provide new information on automation and mechanization technologies utilized in commercial vegetable production

One of the major challenges confronting the vegetable industry is the lack of consistent and skilled labor supply. Finding skilled labor is critical for timely completion of field activities and overall productivity of the farming enterprise. In the last two to three decades vegetable industry has made huge strides in adopting tools, equipment, and techniques that over time have reduced labor requirements for growing and harvesting produce. Although mechanization and automation advances have been more for the harvest of processing vegetable, more and more fresh market vegetables are either being harvested mechanically or there is some form of mechanization/automation utilized during their production process. This workshop will provide information on technologies that focus on automated site specific irrigation and fertilizer application; Geographic Positioning System (GPS) based planting, cultivating, chemical application, and harvest equipment; and GPS based field mapping technology for yield prediction in vegetable crops. Workshop will also cover the topic of automated thinning technology currently being tested in lettuce producing areas in California and Arizona. The final portion of the workshop will highlight the increasing role of Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicles (UAVs) in horticultural crop production. There will be live demonstration of UAVs followed by information on post-image processing and interpretation of images for agricultural 3-D mapping.  This workshop would include three presentations as well as a short discussion/demonstration period. Topics and presenters include: 

• Automated Thinners in California Lettuce Production – Richard Smith, University of California
• Mechanization and Technologies in Processing Vegetables: Past, Present, and Future – Gordon C. Johnson, University of Delaware
• Integrating UAVs into Photogrammetry Applications for Agricultural 3D Mapping – Kurt D. Nolte, The University of Arizona