education


Helping meet the need for high-tech help


UFV diploma program uses agriculture as a natural fit to train student technicians.


By Grant Ullyot T


he ultimate objective of a three-year diploma program in the Trades and Technology


Centre at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is to qualify technicians to work with robotics and other forms of automation. Instructor Avner Bachar says his students deal with equipment and technology that helps support farming operations. “This is a natural,” he explains, “as


we are in the middle of a thriving agriculture area of the Fraser Valley and we are surrounded by berries, vegetables, dairies and so much more activity in the fields, barns and greenhouses. “Also, we are partnered with our


UFV agriculture technology department, which provides us with instructors to help the students understand the challenges of working in this more and more technologically advanced field.” Bachar feels that if they can supply


the increasing demand for technology by having more well- trained technicians available that can service equipment the same day, farmers are more likely to use the technology and increase their productivity because they know they have local support. Bachar says he works closely with the berry industry to try and


influence techniques. “I have been to several farms to make sure I understand the issues and I work closely with our own UFV berry specialist, Tom Baumann, and others in the industry.” Bachar


comments that one area of the berry business where there is room for


improvement is machine harvesting of the blueberry crop. He says there is not enough control over what is happening to the berry. “I have seen a few machines harvesting the berries and the process definitely needs improvement. “The system now in place has a lot


of inherited flaws in its design.” The highbush blueberry plant


grows quite tall and the fruit is picked off from several levels. It drops onto ‘fish-plates’ and gets conveyed upward to the cleaning and sorting belts and finally reaches the flats or bins. By then, however, quite a bit of fruit has been lost or possibly bruised, which renders it less adaptable to the fresh market. Once the fruit makes it to the sorting plant there are further areas where berries can get damaged and the overall marketable yield is


Anver Bachar, instructor in applied and technical studies at the University of the Fraser ValleyTrades and Technology Centre.


compromised. Bachar believes that new technology, if incorporated into the machine harvesting process, could result in improved efficiency. “Our objective,” he states, “is to try


and simulate by machine what we are doing by hand. Machine picking is a lot easier on the pocket book than hand picking. So if we can improve machine harvesting then growers will see a better yield and a better financial return. “ Meanwhile, consumers continue to demand fresh large, firm, sweet- tasting blueberries and until machine harvesting improves, hand- picked berries will dominate the market. The course is also looking at a


couple of options that may improve the efficiency of the hand picker as well.


British Columbia Berry Grower • Winter 2016-17 11


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