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Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday December 7, 2022

The National Farmer Union (NFU) has named its new president.

Jenn Pfenning is a family owner and the director of Human Resources, Marketing and Operations at Pfenning’s Organic Farm in New Hamburg, Ont. She also works with local and migrant workers.

Pfenning takes over from Katie Ward who served as president for four years.

Stewart Wells of Swift Current, Sask. will serve as the first vice president while the second vice president is Al Birchard of Verwood, Sask.

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Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker


Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.