Charlie Wu, right, owner of Orchard Robotics, shows some of the options available from his company during the trade show that was part of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association annual meeting.
Cheryl Schweizer/Basin Business Journal
December 5, 2023
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Evolution drives further advancement in tree fruit industry
KENNEWICK — As they say, things change. Industries evolve, pushed by changes in technology, changes in the workforce, changes in regulation. One of the tractors on display at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association annual meeting in early December was an illustration of how that plays out in agriculture, at least in tree fruits. Dan Gage of SS Equipment, Quincy, said raising apples is expensive these days, and that has changed everything, even the way trees are planted. “It’s called high density - they get the highest density they can out of every acre they can,” Gage said. “Whereas before (trees were planted) in 20-foot rows, now they’re nine.”