A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Era of
Robotics
dawns in
agriculture
I
n 10 years, the labor
shortage in U.S. agricul-
ture will be a thing of
the past.
Think about that state-
ment. If the supply of labor
were to match the demand in
orchards, dairies, nurseries
and processing plants, U.S.
agriculture will have entered
a new era.
Call it the Era of
Robotics.
“I believe we are at a tip-
ping point where over the
next 10 years robotic harvest
will become the norm,” Dan
Steere, Abundant Robotics
co-founder and CEO, told
EO Media Group reporter
Dan Wheat.
Abundant Robotics this
spring ushered in the era for
apples. One of the compa-
ny’s machines was used to
harvest an orchard in New
Zealand this spring.
The robot meticulously
worked its way through the
orchard, vacuuming apples
off trees that were trained to
trellises and whisking them
into bins.
This step toward a mech-
anized apple harvest follows
on the heels of self-propelled
picking platforms that allow
pickers to leave their lad-
ders at the shed and instead
motor through orchards. The
mobile platforms increased
production of pickers,
requiring fewer of them and
easing the shortage.
Robotics have also gained
popularity at many dairies,
where cows decide for them-
selves when they need to be
milked. The robots not only
clean and milk the cows, but
take their temperatures and
screen them for production
and indicators of illnesses.
If a cow presents any symp-
toms, she is automatically
separated from the herd and
a veterinarian is notifi ed.
The driver for the
research that led to these
breakthroughs is the increas-
ing shortage of farm labor.
In orchards and dairies, the
shortages have been partic-
ularly vexing. The need for
farmworkers in both types of
operations is massive. Dair-
ies must milk cows two or
three times a day in addition
to growing feed and tending
the herds. In orchards, har-
vest and pruning trees are
labor-intensive operations.
The labor needs have
forced many farmers to look
abroad for help. Using the
federal H-2A foreign guest-
worker program, they hire
and bring help from coun-
tries such as Mexico. Last
year, Washington apple
growers alone hired 24,862
guestworkers. Nationwide,
about 242,762 H-2A guest-
workers were brought into
the U.S. because farmers
have no other way to get
their crops harvested. And
it’s not cheap: the federal
government requires farmers
to pay for transportation and
housing, in addition to pay-
ing them a higher wage.
The economics alone
make robotics more attrac-
tive. A robot can work 24/7
with no breaks. And now
it is becoming more tech-
nologically attractive, and
companies such as Abundant
Robotics, based in Califor-
nia, and FFRobotics, based
in Israel, are engaged in a
“space race” of sorts to bring
robots into the world’s apple
orchards.
As the robots get faster
and better, they will revolu-
tionize the apple industry,
just as they are doing for the
dairy industry. Other types
of agriculture, from aspar-
agus to strawberry farms,
are also ripe for robotics.
Any farm that requires a
lot of labor to do repetitive
tasks is a prime prospect for
robotics.
This is the dawn of an
exciting new era for agri-
culture, and for anyone who
eats.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
SHOOTING THE BREEZE
GO FISHIN’
I
t is looking like spring
might be here to stay. The
rivers and creeks are start-
ing to go down, and except for a
turkey or two, hunting is on hold.
That must mean that it is time
to go fi shing. I freely admit that
I’m not a diehard fi sherman. That
being said, it beats
mowing the lawn,
so I go every now
and then. My kids
love to fi sh, even
my little princess.
Since I want her to
enjoy the outdoors Rod Carpenter
with me, I encour-
age it as much as possible.
When I started looking into
places to take my kids, I was
amazed at the opportunities we
have right here in Grant County.
Did you know the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife stocks
over 25 ponds, lakes and streams
in Grant County? The Eagle pub-
lished the schedule in the April
3 newspaper, and you can fi nd
that online or check myodfw.
com. Most of us know about Sev-
enth Street, Holliday and McHa-
ley ponds. They are great places
to take the kids for some easy suc-
cess, but did you know about all
the others? The John Day offi ce
has a map of 22 ponds all within
20 miles of Ukiah. I’m pretty
excited to go try them out this
year. I’m thinking of getting a
couple of buddies together and
having a race. We are going to
have a set time to hit as many of
the ponds as we can while catch-
ing one fi sh at each pond.
If those ponds sound a little
too pedestrian for your taste, or
if you are looking for more of an
adventure, the county can cater
to that as well. Strawberry and
High lakes, as well as the Aldrich
Ponds, are a great choice. They
all require a couple-mile hike to
access, but provide amazing scen-
ery. The fi shing is a little more
GUEST COMMENT
Small businesses woven into our lives
I
have a challenge for you.
Try to go one day with-
out having a small business
impact your life. In fact, try to go
one day without having at least
a dozen small businesses touch
your day. It’s impossible. And it’s
something that makes me proud.
There are nearly 378,000 small
businesses in Oregon. Beyond the
two out of three net new jobs they
create, and beyond their employ-
ment of half the state’s workforce,
small businesses are woven into
the fabric of our daily lives.
Consider an average day. You
wake up in your home that was
built by small contractors. The
framers, roofers, electricians,
plumbers and painters were all
likely from local small businesses.
Your breakfast — be it the
milk, the juice, the cereal, the
eggs, the toast, the jam — all
came from a farm. And given our
local agricultural abundance, it’s
very likely it was sourced locally.
The business that paved the
roads of your commute, the busi-
nesses that repair the car, bus,
bike or plane you ride to work —
or the businesses that built those
parts for these modes of transpor-
tation — are most likely small
businesses too.
The coffee shop where you
meet a client or friend, the play-
ground where you take your chil-
dren or the dental offi ce where
you get your teeth cleaned all
have small business written all
over them.
These are the local heroes we
celebrate during National Small
Business Week — entrepreneurs
Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com
Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com
Reporter ...................................................Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com
Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com
Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com
Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, offi ce@bmeagle.com
Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com
Jeremy Field
like Marshall Doyle from Cal-
Cert Company, the U.S. Small
Business Administration 2019
Oregon Small Business Person of
the Year, who contributed to the
safety of many people in our state
by providing calibration and certi-
fi cation of testing equipment used
in the construction, aerospace and
automotive industries.
Every year since 1963, the
president has declared National
Small Business Week as a time
to shine a spotlight on the impact
of small businesses on our econ-
omy and communities. During
this year’s celebration, May 5-11,
I challenge you take a moment to
realize how many touchpoints you
have with small businesses every
day. It’s something we often take
for granted.
As you refl ect on those small
businesses that seamlessly weave
into your day, consider the peo-
ple behind the businesses. Amer-
ica’s progress has been driven by
pioneers who think big, take risks
and work hard.
And consider the social impact
small business owners have. Take
Marshall, for example. Not only
does he create jobs and economic
opportunities for people in Ore-
gon, his company’s success has
allowed him to give back to his
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Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Contributed photo
Columnist Rod Carpenter’s 9-year-
old daughter, Ella, shows off the
spoils of a successful fi shing trip.
challenging, but a little more
rewarding as well. Take your
camping gear and make a week-
end of it.
Rather wade a stream? We
can do that. I have been drown-
ing worms in the John Day River
and Canyon Creek my whole
life. Once I caught a 22-inch
trout right underneath the Bridge
Street bridge. The Burnt River
out of Unity has always treated
me pretty well also. Of course,
the lower John Day is world
renowned for its bass fi shing, and
I hear that it is good for catfi shing
as well, but I have never tried it.
I would give you some advice
on tackle and techniques if I had
any, but I don’t. I like to catch fi sh
as long as I’m fi shing so I always
start with live bait, usually worms,
wherever I go. I don’t know any-
thing about depth or how to pick
the right lure or fl y. If the worms
don’t work, I just start throwing
stuff and hope for the best. If you
have any advice for me, I would
love to hear it.
Whatever your tastes, take a
break from the yard work and
get out and do some fi shing this
summer.
We welcome your thoughts and
ideas at shootingthebreezebme@
gmail.com.
Rod Carpenter is a husband,
father and hunting fool.
Grant County .........................................$45
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community. He volunteers as a
mentor through the Small Busi-
ness Development Center network
at Clackamas Community College
as well as being actively involved
in local high schools and Portland
State University.
It’s a way for Marshall to pay
forward the guidance he received
from the SBDC earlier in the busi-
ness’ history. With help from
SBDC advisers, he was able to
turn the company from the brink
of bankruptcy and grow its mar-
ket share to 41 states and 13 coun-
tries while increasing gross reve-
nue 18-fold.
Small business owners are one
of our state’s greatest resources.
The SBA is proud to be a thread
in the fabric of what small busi-
ness owners weave to achieve.
During National Small Busi-
ness Week, join me in honoring
the small businesses and entre-
preneurs that are woven into our
lives.
Jeremy Field is the regional
administrator for the U.S. Small
Business Administration Pacifi c
Northwest Region, which serves
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
Alaska. The SBA empowers entre-
preneurs and small businesses
with resources to start, grow,
expand or recover.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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