Delivering Results – Grazing the Crop
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Delivering Results – Grazing the Crop
One of the best ways to improve yield and increase picking rates is to allow mushrooms to grow bigger and pick those big mushrooms first.
Some change their pinning strategies to get bigger mushrooms but this can adversely effect yield.
The Gamechangers are designed to help pickers graze the mushroom crop. We have found that grazing the crop is less common than we expected and there are several significant reasons why pickers don’t graze the crop:
a) Picker training – Pickers are not being trained to graze the crop and they do not always understand the concept or benefit of grazing.
b) Lift systems – Manual lift systems that have to be pulled along will mean the pickers will pick all the mushrooms in the picking window before moving. The effort in continuously moving the lift, ensures they pick as many mushrooms as possible.
c) That’s the way it’s always been – There is an inbuilt resistance to any change irrespective of the benefits and this goes from producers, farm managers, room managers right down to the pickers.
d) Space allocated – If limited space is allocated to pickers there is no incentive to graze.
When we have implemented the Gamechangers we have striven to implement crop grazing, and we have had good success in this regard due to the design and advantages of the Gamechangers and Lifts.
These vital components are:
a) The Gamechangers increase the picking rate of a picker and this means they can cover the picking area much faster and thus can be provided a larger area to graze in. If you double the picking rate it is important to increase the area picked in line with the increased picking rate.
b) The horizontal movement of the lift can be programmed to suit the crop conditions and abilities of the picker. That allows them to pick off the bigger mushrooms and thin the crop to allow the other smaller mushrooms to grow.
c) The cup sizes of the Gamechangers are a constant reminder of mushroom sizing. It is surprising how uniform the mushrooms being picked start to become even after 5 days, even with a newer picker.
d) By grazing over the growing bed quickly and opening up the crop quickly we have found that it has reduced the amount of rejected mushrooms or “Value Pack” mushrooms that normally would be harvested. The closer the mushrooms are to 50mm the easier the picking and the better the quality, with less chance of rejects ending in the bin.
e) Some beds seem to grow faster than others due to airflow and other factors. It is important to start on the most advanced growing shelf first.
f) If mushrooms in a punnet are of a uniform size the product looks much better. Placement in the container is much better with regular sizes.
The average giveaway in a punnet is half the average weight of the mushrooms picked over the period. This bigger giveaway however would be more than compensated for by the increase in stalk weight due to the accurate stalk cutting system.
If you want to increase crop yield the Gamechangers will help you achieve this goal. The Gamechangers and Lift system will make implementation of grazing a much easier proposition.
The Gamechanger Pro and Articulated Floor Supported Lift is The Only Viable Solution for your mushroom farm.
To view more information and video please click the following links for the Gamechanger Pro or Floor Supported Lift.
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