Robotic strawberry harvesting

Scientists at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, along with the Computer Science Department of Minnesota University, have developed and evaluated a robot for harvesting strawberries grown on table-tops in polytunnels. The robot consists of a newly-designed gripper mounted on an industrial arm which in turn is mounted on…

Lincoln to create first Global Centre of Excellence in Agri-robotics

The UK's first global centre of excellence in agri-robotics research will be created at the University of Lincoln, with the announcement of significant Government grant funding today (Thursday 13th June 2019). Lincoln Agri-Robotics will be established as a major new research centre bringing together…

New Visser machines for AutoStix

Visser Horti Systems will continue to improve the open source character of AutoStix. The open source system for strips and machine is currently expanded with a variety of machines, allowing an increasing number of growers to work with AutoStix. Visser announces the introduction of two new machines next to the existing machine…

Disinfection unit to fight the spread of the ToBRF virus

The worldwide outbreak of the ToBRF virus requires growers to pay even more attention to hygiene. Suppliers also pay extra attention to it. Unifortes as a producer of industrial cleaning solutions, has always done so. Nevertheless, the latest virus was a reason for Unifortes to develop a new stand-alone…

Friends share experience of using jet cooler to help expand their businesses

Two lifelong friends in northern California share cooling for their commodities. They gain two seasons out of what’s typically one season and run their businesses like brothers. Since 2014, Tony Serrano, president of JAS Family Farms Organics, and Pat Coash, owner of Koppes Plants, both in Watsonville,…

The importance of a good dipcontainer

From now on, the new pipe rail dipcontainer / sanitizer from Berkvens is available at Steenks Service. Why you need a dipcontainer A dipcontainer is very important if you want to work as hygienic as possible in the horticulture industry. The dipcontainer is filled with a disinfectant so an employee can…

Javo USA puts focus on Solutions

Horticulture growers in North America face new challenges every day. From market and labor pressures, to keeping up with the latest trends in landscaping, the problems can be almost overwhelming. This led Javo USA, Inc. to look for a new approach to help its clients and the new Javo USA website ( http://javousa.net/ ) is part…

Packing iceberg lettuce on the harvester

A video by Markus Nöthen, from Redpack Maschinen GmbH, shows the iceberg lettuce packaging machine, which can be operated stationary or mobile on a harvester. The output per hour for a well-rehearsed team with a regular product is at about 4,000 to 4,500 packagings per minute. "Compared with other…

Israeli start-up develops fruit picking drone

Although the automation of the fresh produce sector is in an advanced stage, fruit is still being picked by hand. An Israeli start-up now wants to dispense with labour intensive harvesting by utilising small drones. The people from Tevel Aerobotics Technologies feel confident that harvesting can be done…

Uzbekistan a new frontier for Futura

"Uzbekistan is representing a new and increasingly interesting frontier for Futura, a company that manufactures small-medium sized sorting systems. Four new lines are about to be tested for a company growing peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses. Between 12th and 14th June 2019, Futura will take…

Crux Agribotics launches ‘pay-as-you-use’ model

Crux Agribotics launches SPaaS, a ‘pay-as-you-use’ model “to enable any grower worldwide to implement and leverage the advantages of Robotics“. Crux Agribotics launches its SortiPack Robots for Automated Grading, Sorting & Packing of fruit and vegetables at Greentech 2019. With this innovation it…

Strawberry picking robot should soon be picking faster than people

Researchers at the American University of Plymouth have developed a harvesting robot that can pick strawberries. The robot is currently still very slow at harvesting, but it should soon start picking faster than people. On average, a human can pick 15,000 strawberries in eight hours. The robot is…

Building a strawberry-picking robot

Wish Farms, outside of Plant City, Florida, grows strawberries on 600 acres. The ripe berries have all been handpicked by a seasonal workforce over 600 strong — mostly coming from south of the border. But labor is getting hard to find. The solution? Build a strawberry-picking robot. Gary Wishnatzki, the…

Robocrop, the new red fruit picking robot developed in the United Kingdom

The shortage of laborers is a common problem across Europe and has become a growing concern in the fruit and vegetable production sector; therefore, various technology companies have decided to develop harvesting robots that will help the sector. One of them is Fieldworks Robotics, which emerged from the…

Asparagus harvester that hasn't made it to market (yet)

AU: The new versatile collaborative robot set to reduce the potential for workplace injuries

A new collaborative robot system that can operate 24 hours a day and reduce workplace injuries, is being showcased at the Australian Banana Industry Congress on the Gold Coast. Visy Industries Group Service Automation Manager Richard Green says the machine runs at slower speeds when humans are around,…

Clearing out is more than starting a crop shredder

The crop rotation is a labor-intensive and hectic period for many growers. Weterings is specialized in the development and production of machines, with which crop rotation can be carried out in an efficient, work-friendly and safe manner. They have a variety of machines that can be used to mechanize the…

"Our fast response provides a long term solution"

A fast-response service from tray sealing specialist Proseal that enabled leading ready meal manufacturer Rowan Foods Ltd to maintain production has cemented the working relationship between the two companies. From the installation of three Proseal PR30 machines in the late 1990s, which are still in…

Tomato grower launches sale of crate plunger for the prevention of ToBRFV

As a grower, what do you do when you devise and develop an innovative solution for an everyday problem in the greenhouse? Then you could keep it to yourself, but you could also share it with your peers. Geert De Breuck decided to do the latter with the crate plunger that he initially developed for…

"New bagging machine enables flexible packaging of a wide product range"

In today's fresh food industry, the demand for loose goods in tubular bags is rapidly increasing. To meet these requirements, appropriate packaging lines are required. Barsch Maschinenbau, headquartered in Reiskirchen, Germany, has been specializing in the production of modern tubular bag systems for…

Performing service works at six meter height

Standing on a 6 meter high platform you don't want any doubt regarding the machines you work with. The team with FPHU Maryniaczyk knows this and that's why their Hortitech trolley is in use by growers all over the world. Recent updates improve the safety and user friendliness of the trolley. "With…

New tomato-picking robot tested in Californian greenhouse

Root AI's Virgo robot is designed to pick tomatoes. It has a camera and artificial intelligence software that analyzes whether the tomato is ripe, and an arm with delicate "fingers" that swings out and snags the fruit right off the vine. The machine has been tested at a greenhouse in California, and if…

"Strong growth in semi-finished products makes labor issue a challenge"

Last year Harvest House announced that it would completely take over Snijpunt in order to grow in the market for healthy convenience food products. According to commercial director Marco Romein with Snijpunt, this step offers many opportunities. "This gives our customers more direct access to the source…

Australia: Instant asset write-off raised to $30,000 and extended until June 2020

On April 2nd, 2019 the Australian Taxation Office raised the threshold for each asset to $30,000. Not all companies are aware of this scheme and the recent changes that will now benefit even more businesses in the horticulture industry. It is estimated that an additional 22,000 companies can now utilize…

Unique Australian technology cleaning cool room storages and improving food quality

A unique Australian-developed atmosphere management technology system is proving to be very popular throughout the horticulture sector, with substantial growth in on-farm use across many regions nationally and overseas. Airofresh is a patented highly intense oxidation module, driven by light, and…

The end of plasticulture will involve a lot of cardboard

The supposed end of plasticulture is leading to an increase in the demand for machinery, and many packaging machine manufacturers see agriculture as a market niche. In this context, TMG®, a company specialized in assembly machines for mass production, is launching new lines to meet that demand. "A large…

Clean Works promotes waterless fresh produce washing

Clean Works, based in Beamsville, Ontario, has invented a process to clean fresh produce without using water. Using ultraviolet light and vaporised hydrogen peroxide, the company claims the 30 second process kills 99% of dangerous pathogens. The company also says it increases the shelf life of produce by…

Big Chinese project to propagate flowers and plants

It's not just greenhouse vegetable cultivation that's making serious headway in China, ornamental horticulture is also on the rise. The Chinese are getting more money in their pockets, which means consumers are increasingly willing to purchase a nice bunch of flowers or a pretty plant. In order to meet…

"The UK is never the first to switch to Dutch greenhouses vegetables"

"People in the UK make decisions quickly but when it comes to prices, they do not make a move quickly. Winter contracts are often fixed up to week 17. This includes Easter," says Johan Vrijland of the Dutch company, JNV Produce. This marketing company focuses solely on exports to the United Kingdom. "The…

BayWa and RWA announce competition for robotics solutions in agriculture

In the search for innovation in agriculture, the Agro Innovation Lab (AIL), the joint innovation platform of BayWa and RWA, is breaking new ground: In a special format, the Robotics Challenge, the AIL this year focuses on robotics solutions in agriculture, in particular in the fields of autonomous weed…

"The key was a reliable system that produced the same package time and time again cost effectively."

A leading United Kingdom packaging company says demand for its tomato slicing machine is growing, as the need for convenience food grows. Baltimore Innovations now has more than 40 machines world-wide, mostly in the United States and Europe – but also in Japan and Australia. Managing Director Matthew…

"Quickly producing large volumes of steel in today’s market is increasingly important"

The majority of Alcomij's steel structures are designed and produced on a project basis for various locations worldwide. In order to continue to meet the ever-increasing demand for high-quality (customized) substructure constructions, Alcomij has recently expanded its own steel department with the Adige…

UK: Fieldwork Robotics wins funding to accelerate development of fruit-picking robot

Frontier IP Group Plc’s portfolio firm Fieldwork Robotics has won over £500,000 in funding from Innovate UK. The money will be used to accelerate the development of its raspberry-picking robot. Frontier, which holds a 27.5% stake in Fieldwork, said the funding would put towards a project to create a…

NL: 100th cloth wiper means good reason for cake

Last week, the 100th Stefix 135 cloth wiper was delivered by Steenks. Hünnekens, supplier of garden, park, and agricultural machines, was the lucky recipient. The Stefix is a machine especially developed by Steenks to meet a client's wish, because there was no machine yet to effectively wipe the ground…

"Only harvesting the asparagus to be done by hand"

For more than 20 years, Strauss Verpackungsmaschinen has been producing asparagus sorting machines, weighing machines, packaging machines and, for five years, harvesting aids for asparagus. At the moment, the preparation for this year's season is in full swing. In parts of Europe, harvesting already…

Robots on wheels to compose pallets

Robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics published a YouTube video showing two Handle robots working in a warehouse completely autonomously: one transfers a few boxes from the shelves to a pallet, while the other moves them from the shelves to a conveyor belt. The machines look like ostriches with two legs…

Frutmac solutions to speed up crate opening

Thanks to its 50 years of experience in the food packaging sector, Frutmac managed to reach yet another objective by speeding up the opening of folding crates. The machine to open plastic folding crates is a part of the Boxer range. It is suitable for all the most popular 400x 600 mm crates. Changing to…

DriedFresh to roll out evolved V2.5 OVDMA dryer

Over the last 15 years DriedFresh have developed and refined a fresh idea for drying nature's food. The company dries from fresh (no freeze-drying required) at low temperatures and Oxygen free. Food for longlife storage with a gold standard nutrient preservation status keeping nature's colours, taste and…