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Manitoba Harvest Makes Better Progress

Manitoba producers made better harvest progress this past week, with particularly large gains made in canola. 

The weekly provincial crop report on Tuesday pegged the overall harvest at 63% complete, up from 47% a week earlier but still about three weeks behind the five-year average of 86%. In the previous two weeks combined, the Manitoba harvest advanced by just a combined 15 points amid rain and high humidity levels. 

The canola harvest jumped to 58% complete from 30% a week earlier, the report said, with over 1.9 million acres now combined. Meanwhile, 85% of the spring wheat crop was in the bin, along with 96% of the barley, 82% of the oats, 99% of the peas and 3% of the flax. Soybeans were 11% harvested while the corn harvest is just now getting under way. 

Some wheat crops harvested after recent rains have been downgraded to No. 3 CWRS as a result of mildew and sprouting, while most remain a No. 2 CWRS. Swathing yet-unharvested crops is much more common across the province this year to reduce green straw problems and increase combine speed and efficiency, the report said. 

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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.