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Continued from Page 63<br />
survey identified themselves as tree<br />
nut growers. Implementing autonomous<br />
equipment whenever possible<br />
can reduce the amount of labor necessary,<br />
as well as substantially lessen the<br />
amount of time required to complete<br />
certain tasks.<br />
Less Time in an Orchard<br />
Means Less Money Spent<br />
While individual orchards and materials<br />
can vary, Thompson noted that in<br />
general each GUSS rig can complete<br />
six acres an hour. A single worker can<br />
monitor a total of eight GUSS units<br />
that are simultaneously operating in<br />
an orchard. “It’s a very efficient way<br />
of spraying as compared to having<br />
employees on the tractors. You have a<br />
lot less stopped and down time,” said<br />
Thompson.<br />
Regulatory changes to how often and<br />
what times agricultural workers can<br />
be deployed in an orchard can also be<br />
addressed through autonomous equipment.<br />
Materials that have a limited<br />
window of time that an application<br />
can be made can sometimes be at odds<br />
with labor availability and compensation<br />
rates. Deploying autonomous<br />
equipment can assist with a timely<br />
application, particularly when dealing<br />
with a large amount of acreage.<br />
“There’s just really no reason for the<br />
machine to stop with the exception of<br />
getting its material refilled and getting<br />
diesel put in it,” said Thompson. “These<br />
things run day and night—there’s<br />
24-hour a day operation—you can just<br />
go, go and go.”<br />
Deploying an autonomous piece<br />
of farming equipment can help to<br />
overcome the issue of labor availability<br />
and reduce the time required to<br />
complete certain tasks. Equipment<br />
such as a GUSS rig can replace a group<br />
of tractor operators with a single<br />
person to oversee a group of tractors.<br />
Lowering the number of workers that<br />
are necessary can also reduce the<br />
number of mistakes and inaccuracies in<br />
many cases.<br />
Fewer Workers, Less<br />
Opportunity for Error<br />
Driverless tractors and other autonomous<br />
agricultural equipment not only<br />
help reduce the amount of labor that is<br />
required on a farming operation, but<br />
also improve the accuracy and efficiency<br />
of record keeping. As more and<br />
more regulations are implemented that<br />
require detailed records of material<br />
applications and other farming necessities,<br />
digitalized equipment will increase<br />
in value to a grower.<br />
“GUSS spray rigs record everything<br />
that they do. So, the application rate, the<br />
flow, everything. Where they are, what<br />
64<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Coast</strong> <strong>Nut</strong> <strong>September</strong> <strong>2019</strong>
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