Tread lightly
How the Clüver family farms in harmony with nature. By Anna Mouton. De Rust in the Elgin Valley has been in the Clüver family since 1896. Their farming operations include approximately 150 hectares of apples and pears and 72 hectares…
Agricultural technology in Australia
A perspective from Tatura SmartFarm. By Anna Mouton. Agriculture Victoria’s world-renowned Tatura SmartFarm is synonymous with horticultural innovation. Dr Mark O’Connell is a senior research scientist in horticultural production science at Tatura. He has more than three decades of experience…
The drone detective
How De Rust Estate uses infrared imaging as a cost-effective tool to identify and address stress in orchards. By Anna Mouton. Is there an affordable tool for rapid water-stress detection in orchards? This question set Karin Clüver, production director at…
How to manage orchard zones
Combining information from different imaging systems can help growers achieve more uniform trees and fruit. By Anna Mouton. Variability is the bane of the pome- and stone-fruit grower’s existence. The different soil types of most orchards lead to non-uniform tree…
Smart Orchard 2.0
An ongoing project in Washington State puts technology to the test. By Anna Mouton. The explosion of new technologies has been a mixed blessing for fruit growers. Never before have growers had access to so much data — and never…