Robots Spread Seeds of Change in Fruit Orchards
2,442 views · Published 11 May 2009 · 3:32 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Voice of America · 2009 · News & Politics
Fruits and vegetables, nuts and nursery plants are big business in the United States. Yet growers of these "specialty crops," which require individual pickers, are facing rising labor costs, a shortage of workers and increased demand for safe and affordable products. Production - unlike that of wheat, corn or soy - is relatively unmechanized, and farmers are desperate for ways to boost food quality without boosting their cost. From an apple orchard in western Pennsylvania, Rosanne Skirble reports that robotic technology is gearing up to help.
