The second season of the Virtual Orchard Meetups occurred throughout June and July of 2022. This year’s theme was Orchard Efficiency: Labour and Technology. These webinars provided an opportunity to review challenges, best practices, and new recommendations for orchard labour and technology, which were led by a panel of scientists, growers and other experts across North America.
There were four webinars in total. Click on the following links for summaries:
- Webinar 1 – Labour: Grower Experiences
- Webinar 2 – Labour: Expert Panel
- Webinar 3 – Technology: Grower Experiences
- Webinar 4 – Technology: Expert Panel
This extension effort was conducted across North America in close collaboration with the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), the AI Institute for Transforming Workforce & Decision Support AgAID, and Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA). The Virtual Orchard Meetup series was organized and facilitated by the following:
- Anna Wallis, MSU
- Bernardita Sallato, WSU Extension
- Mario Miranda Sazo, Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Daniel Weber, PSU Extension
- Kristy Grigg-McGuffin, OMAFRA
In a final sentiment: Labour and technology will always be hand in hand and will inevitably change the way we work.
There are many similarities across the United Stated and Canada within the apple industry, these events aid in fostering relationships and sharing information, with the ambition to assist growers. The Virtual Orchard Meet-up Series will continue in 2023, stay tuned for future announcements.
If you would like to watch the videos at your own leisure please follow this link. For any further inquiries please reach out to Erika DeBrouwer either by phone or email (226-931-4098, erika.debrouwer@ontario.ca)
Erika DeBrouwer
Tree Fruit Specialist, OMAFRA