Comparison of Harvesting Strategies for Aronia Berries

Introduction

There are at the very least a few approaches to harvest aronia berries. These are hand harvesting, machine harvesting, and self decide on harvesting. Each of these are discussed in this short article and the cost require with every method.

Hand Harvesting

Hand-harvesting affords additional exact variety and tends to do a far better work of buying far more of the berries. Mechanical harvesters allow for a additional productive, normally a more price tag-productive course of action. Mechanical harvesting is effectively-suited for massive aronia berry plantings that lay on a flat patch of earth. The variety of harvesting by hand-choosing, mechanical harvesters or a mixture of the two is affected by a number of components.

For hand harvesting, from an employer’s point of view, a piece charge system offers two advantages more than an hourly wage process. Initially, a piece amount establishes in advance the unit charge for the task a worker is employed to do. Second, a piece price technique does not involve close and consistent supervision of a worker’s productiveness. This usually means the employees want to be self-enthusiastic. Although a flat hourly, or wage payment process guarantees a set rate income, it also gets rid of the prospect for a employee to get paid more than the stated hourly wage. In addition an hourly wage program eliminates the productivity incentive, companies may well be deprived if worker effectiveness is down below that of extra productive pickers. Less than an hourly wage system close supervision of employee effort is necessary.

The adhering to illustration assumes 700 bushes planted for each acre with an average produce of 20 lbs of berries for every bush. A choosing level of 16.1 pounds per hour and an hourly wage of $8.00 is utilized. You can use the figures that apply to your procedure. The worksheet also enables you to calculate your hand harvest expenses if you spend pickers on a per pound basis. With these assumptions, hand harvesting an acre of berries requires 870 hours of labor at a wage of $8.00/hour. The running price of hand harvesting is (870 hrs × $8.00/hour) $6957/acre.

a. Aronia berry bushes – 700 bushes
b. Yield for every bush – 20 lbs
c. Selecting level – 16.1lbs/hour
d. Per pound labor amount – $ .50 $/lb
Whole production a × b =14,000 lbs
Hrs (a × b) / c = 870 hours
Whole expense (a × b) × d = $ $6957 dollars
Charge per bush (b × d)= $ 9.94 bucks
Hourly wage (c × d) = $8.00 dollars
Amount of pickers/week ((a × b) / c) / 40= 22 pickers

Consequently for hand finding a 14000 lb harvest at $1.00 for every lb would be. $14,000 gross with a harvesting value of$ 6957 the web profit would be $7043 per acre not counting other creation price tag. 10 acres could internet $70,430.

Machine Harvesting

There are two categories for equipment costs: ownership prices (or mounted fees) and operating fees (or variable costs). Possession expenditures contain the charge of the tools which are a preset value no matter how a lot (or how little) you use the choosing device. The other linked charge incorporate repairs, housing expenses, depreciation, curiosity, and coverage,. The variable working prices linked with working with the equipment and will vary dependent on how substantially you use the equipment. The operating expenses consist of the labor essential for jogging the products, fuel, lubrication, and the expenditures of other essential tools.

Possession Prices

You could be in a position to acquire a pull-type harvester for $30,000.

Repairs

Restore charge for belts, pulleys, motors etcetera is believed to price $200 for each 12 months. You should really also figure in an total for routine maintenance and repairs. A advised quantity is 8% of the acquire cost, or $2400 around the 20 yr time period of time.

Housing Charge

Housing cost is believed to be $500 for each 12 months. You might have storage area out there on your farm.

Depreciation

Because you are working with the picker infrequently and on a small amount of land, the beneficial lifetime of the put into practice may be about 20 decades immediately after which it has no industry value. With these assumptions, your depreciation price tag can be computed to be ($30,000/20 many years) = $1500/calendar year.

Desire

If you borrow cash to obtain the harvester the price tag of borrowing will have to be considered. The curiosity charge should really be provided in your charge calculation. Even if you use your personal cash to acquire the devices, you must figure in what you could gain from applying that dollars in other places. Due to the fact the value of the device declines above time (thanks to depreciation) the normal strategy is to compute curiosity expenditures making use of the normal worth above the daily life of the machine, in this circumstance, $15,000. Assuming an curiosity level of 6% and an regular price your desire expense is $15,000 × .06 = $900 for every 12 months.

Insurance policies

You will need to insure your new aronia berry harvester. An estimate for Insurance cost are usually about $10 per $1000 of valuation. For $30,000 berry picker that would be $300 per year. Your recent insurance coverage coverage may possibly be adequate to go over your new invest in.

Total Ownership Charges $ 1500 + $200 + $500 + $900 + 300 = $ 3,400.00 for each 12 months

Price tag comparison breakeven acres =
Complete Ownership Charges (for every year) = $ 3,400
Hand Variable Expenditures/acre – Machine Variable Expenditures/acre $ 3,400.00 for each acre- $ 6957/acre = $3557 additional price tag to hand harvest just one acre compared to machine harvesting. 3400/6957 = .49 %
Consequently for something above .5 acres machine harvesting is most affordable.
3400/6957 = .49 %

As a result for equipment harvesting a 14000 lb harvest at $1.00 for each lb would be. $14,000 gross with a harvesting value of $ 3400 the net gain would be $10,600 for every acre not counting other production price tag. 10 acres could net $106,000.

You Select Operations

1 way to assistance regulate charge is to have a “you select” berry operation. You select is not as well-known as you select blueberry functions for the reason that the aronia berries are bitter and ought to be created into juices, jams and other products.

Marketing aronia berries as fundraisers for educational institutions and church youth teams do the job very well for some functions. It is a very good way to marketplace aronia berries. It eradicates the cost of hand harvesting. Advertising and marketing aronia berries as fundraisers for colleges and church youth teams also offers are possibility to educate men and women about the well being rewards of aronia berries. This method can boost your earnings and make tiny farms lucrative.

Summary

For aronia plantings of bigger than ½ acre in dimensions machine harvesting is the most economical procedure. As an interim measure you use decide on functions to be successful. For commercial operations not only is equipment harvesting is most functional, it is necessary. In addition significant acreages are demanded to appeal to substantial consumers for the manufacturing of juices. Huge acreages are also necessary to be profitable and competitive since Europe has lots of hundreds of acres of arona and are advertising them in the United States at extremely aggressive costs.