During harvesting bins should be placed in a way that ensures that their subsequent movement is minimised and allows them to be picked up by the tractor/pallet loader without damage to the bin or fruit, while allowing the pickers easy access, without unnecessary walking with a full picking bucket. Surveys carried out by FAST Ltd have linked the extent of bruising to the number of bin movements. The following points should be considered:
- Use the knowledge gained from crop estimates to ensure the correct number of bins is available.
- When placing the bins in the orchard ensure the position of each bin is optimised, in particular that the runners do not drop into any ruts making removal by pallet transporters difficult.
- Where growers have large enough orchards with intensive single row systems, it can be more cost and quality efficient to use bins mounted on low specially designed trailers, drawn between the rows by mini tractors and with small groups of pickers picking directly into the bins.
- Very large orchards with bed systems can be more efficiently picked using a self-propelled picking truck with transfer belts positioned within close reach of each picker.
Picking trains
When using picking trains, all staff must receive full training prior to picking. It is important to cover health and safety considerations of working close to moving machinery.
The following points should be considered:
- The number of pickers to allocate to each gang. From experience most growers feel that 6-8 is the ideal number and it should always be an even number so they pick up the row evenly. Also, if possible, it is good practice to keep the gang members the same from one day to the next
- The number of bins to have on each train. If there are not enough bins the train fills up before the end of the row, but if the train is too long it can cause problems when turning at the end.
- The number of trains to have per orchard. This depends on the size of the orchard and whether all fruit has to be picked as quickly as possible e.g. all fruit is destined for one CA store.
- The length of the orchard rows. Growers need to plan where the next train will need to be to ensure even picking of the orchard
- The support system the trees are on (post & wire/ individual stakes).This affects how many rows can be picked at one time
- The quantity of fruit that will be picked per row (selective picking or strip picking). This affects how many trains, pickers, bins and supervisors will be needed.
- The supervision of the gang. Some growers use one supervisor per gang and others have a mobile supervisor across all gangs in the orchard as well as a supervisor checking quality back in the yard.
- The payment of the gang. Will it be piece work per bin, hourly with a bin bonus? This also affects how to control quality.
- The transport of the bins back to the main yard. Will the train take them back, or will the bins be removed at the side of the orchard and taken back on a separate trailer? This will affect how many trains are required. If fruit is being unloaded in the yard it is necessary to ensure that the gangs always have additional trains to pick into.