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KPPA hires new general manager

The Keystone Potato Producers Association board has a new general manager.

Susan Ainsworth is replacing Dan Sawatzky effective September 1, 2023.

Sawatzky will be working with Ainsworth over the next few months which will help with a smoother transition.

He says her past experience and exposure within the potato industry make her a perfect choice.

Ainsworth has worked in various roles within the potato industry in Manitoba over the past 26 years and has experience at numerous levels including retail, government, post-secondary education, industry and on-farm.

She has a bachelor of science in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and recently completed a master’s in business administration from the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University. 

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Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

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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.