
International Symposium on
Mechanical Harvesting
& Handling Systems
of Fruits and Nuts |

Citrus Research
and Education Center |
April 2
– 4, 2012
Citrus Research and Education Center
University of Florida / IFAS
Lake Alfred, FL (USA) |
SITE
INDEX
Introduction
Welcome
to the International Symposium on Mechanical Harvesting & Handling Systems
of Fruit and Nuts. This event is being hosted by the UF/IFAS Citrus Mechanical
Harvesting & Abscission Program at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research & Education
Center, in Lake Alfred, FL. This is two day symposium, with an optional tour on
the third day of mechanical harvesting of citrus and other crops in central and
SW Florida. The symposium welcomes scientists, growers, harvesters, handlers,
processors and others interested in the practices and concerns of mechanical
harvesting of fruits and nut crops. Our speakers are active in academia and
industry representing an array of the various fruit and nut crops. The
mechanically
harvested crops discussed will include olives, cherries,
grapes,
raspberries, blueberries, citrus,
coffee, nuts and others.
The
two day symposium will include topics of interest on harvesting systems,
abscission aids, harvesting aids, robotic harvesting, automation, and new
machine designs. Many different facets of mechanical harvesting will be featured
including economics, plant health, crop gleaning, transport and handling that
affect the U.S. and International fruit and nut markets.
The optional field trip, on day three, will take the participants to central and
southwest Florida (Immokalee) and will include mechanical harvesting in a
commercial citrus grove. The symposium Abstracts and Proceedings will be
published through the International Society of Horticulture Science (ISHS).
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Who
Should Attend?
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10 Ways to Benefit from
Attending
-
Discover
how to design trees and orchards for efficient MH
-
Learn about
Harvesting Machine Design & Enhancements- Including
a) Autonomous
Guidance System
b) Trash removal
c) Yield
monitoring
d) Ways to Reduce
Tree Injury
-
Explain how MH
integrates with Precision Farming, Process Control & Sensors
-
Discuss the
latest on Fruit loosening and Abscission Management
-
Learn about
Plant-Machine Interactions and effects on Tree and Plant health
-
Understand
how Mechanical Harvesting affects Subsequent Crop Yields
-
Be able to know
how to Overcome Obstacles to MH and Making a Successful Transition to MH
-
What about
Processor Issues? Reducing unwanted trash,
a) Maintaining
Product Quality, Food Safety
-
Learn new
advances in Harvesting Robotics
-
Discuss Economic
and Labor Issues
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Mechanical
Harvesting History
The
history of citrus mechanical harvesting in Florida dates back to the 1950’s. The
idea of a mechanized harvesting system was developed from the struggle the
citrus industry was facing concerns about costs and availability of harvesting
labor. . This has been an ongoing problem that is still present. The
systems that were developed early used several methods of removing the fruit
unconventionally. For example, blasting water or air into the tree knocked the
fruit off the stems.
If you are interested in reading more and seeing videos about harvesting
equipment the development of current mechanical harvesting machines in Florida,
please go to:
http://citrusmh.ifas.ufl.edu/index.asp?s=0&p=5
Other MH topics to be found at this site include: Current MH Systems, Mass Harvesters, Robotics, Grove Design, Abscission, Tree Health, Economics, Processor Issues, Publications Database,
and Extension Tools
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Program Topics
Topics for ABSTRACT SUBMISSION --
CLICK HERE
for submission information (PDF)
1. Horticulture - mechanically harvesting today’s orchards
-
Orchard/tree
design
-
Pruning
-
Grower
practices
-
Plant health
- Processed vs. Fresh Crops
2. Horticulture – Orchards of
the future and implications for mechanical harvesting
3. Abscission agents
4. Post harvest issues
5. Engineering – mass
harvesters
6. Engineering – robotics
technology
-
Harvesting
efficiency
-
Costs and
reliability
-
Future goals
7. Engineering – harvest aids
and economic
requirements
8. Commercializing Mechanical
Harvesting technologies
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Meet the
Keynote Speakers

Dr. Leandro Ravetti, Modern Olives Inc., Australia
"How Continuous Mechanical Harvesting Transformed the Olive Industry."
Click here for CV

Dr. Sergio Castro-Garcia, Seville, Spain
"Preparing Spain and California Olive Industries for Mechanical Harvesting"
Click here for CV

Mr. Bill Barber, Lykes Bros., FL, USA
"Orchards of the Future"
Click here for CV

Dr. Mark Trimmer, AgroSource, Inc., NJ, USA
"Successful Abscission Agent Development and Commercialization in FL
oranges"
Click here for CV

Dr. Jean-Xavier Guinard, UC Davis, California, USA
"Sensory Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Mechanically vs. Hand-
Harvested Table Olives"
Click here for CV

Prof. Yoav Sarig, Israel
"Mechanical Harvesting of Fruit--Past Achievements, Current Status and Future
Prospects"
Click here for CV

Prof. Naoshi Kondo, University of Kyoto, Japan
"Present Situation and Future Prospects of Fruit harvesting and Grading Robots"
Click here for CV

Prof. Paul Heinemann, Penn. State Univ., USA
"Collaborative Efforts with a Commercialization Partner to Develop a Vacuum
Assisted Harvest System Present Situation and Future Prospects on Fruit
harvesting and Grading Robots"
Click here for CV

Mr. Gary Stich, CEO of Oxbo International
Corporation, NY USA
"Implementation of a Product Development Process"
Click here for CV
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Important Dates
to Remember
Call for Abstracts |
August 22, 2011 |
On-Line Registration Opens |
October 1, 2011 |
Abstract Submission Deadline |
February 1, 2012 |
Early Registration Deadline |
January 27, 2012 |
Regular Registration |
January 28-April 3, 2012 |
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Tentative
Agenda
[CLICK HERE here for
printable DETAILED Agenda as of
November 7, 2011]
Sunday April 1, 2012
Participant Arrival & Check-in
6:00pm-7:00pm |
Welcome Social at Hotel
|
Monday
April 2, 2012
7:30am-9:00am |
Continental Breakfast
and Transportation to CREC - Registration and Poster set up |
9:00am-10:30am |
Welcome and Keynote
Speaker
Oral Session I – Horticulture - Mechanically harvesting today’s
orchards. (Keynote and Session speakers) |
10:30am-11:00am |
Break in Poster Session Room
|
11:00am-12:00pm |
Oral Session II:
Horticulture – Orchards of the future and implications for Mechanical
Harvesting |
12:00pm-1:30pm |
Lunch provided (CREC) |
1:30pm-3:00pm |
Oral Session III:
Abscission Agents
|
3:00pm-3:30pm |
Break in Poster Session Room |
3:30pm-5:00pm |
Oral Session IV: Post
Harvest issues and Mechanical Harvesting |
5:00pm-6:30pm |
Poster Session I and Reception |
6:30pm-8:00pm |
FCM hosted dinner and Key-note speaker. Return to Hotel.
|
Tuesday
April 3, 2012
7:30am-8:30am |
Continental Breakfast and Transportation to CREC |
8:30am-10:00am |
Oral Session V:
Engineering – Mass Harvesters |
10:00am-10:30am |
Break in Poster Session Room |
10:30am-12:00pm |
Oral Session VI: Engineering – Robotics
Technology |
12:00pm-1:30pm |
Lunch provided (CREC) |
1:30pm-3:00pm |
Oral Session VII:
Engineering – Harvest Aids and Economic Requirements of New Harvesting
Systems |
3:00pm-3:30pm |
Break in Poster Session Room |
3:30pm-5:00pm |
Oral Session VIII: –
Commercializing Mechanical Harvesting Technologies |
5:00pm-6:30pm |
Poster Session II and Closing Reception
|
6:30pm-8:00pm |
FCM hosted dinner. Return to Hotel.
|
|
Symposium Concluded |
Wednesday
April 4, 2012
– Optional Technical Field Trip
7:30am-8:30am |
Continental Breakfast and Transportation to CREC
(for those attending
Optional Field Trip) |
9:00am-3:00pm |
Optional Technical Field Trip and Lunch |
This tour is a great way to explore and learn about the field operations
of new harvesting technologies, automation and nursery production, and
mechanical harvesting of citrus in commercial groves. Tour includes
visit to regional nursery production unit and to Lykes citrus grove, Ft.
Basinger-FL where the mechanical harvesting operation demos are
exclusively planned for tour participants.
Tour cost: $50 including
transportation and lunch, Bus departs from CREC at 9:00am
Capacity: 50 persons. |
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Registration
Information
Early Deadline Extended to January 27
REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE
All figures are in US dollars ($).
|
Early Fee
If register by 1/27/2012 |
Regular Fee
If register after 1/27/2012 |
ISHS Member |
$150.00 |
$200.00 |
Florida Growers |
$125.00 |
$175.00 |
ISHS Non-Member* |
$234.00 |
$284.00 |
|
One-Day Grower Fee
(Mon. or Tues.) |
$100.00 (No
printed Proceedings) |
Optional Post Conference
Field Trip (Wednesday April 4) |
$ 50.00
-- ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY MARCH 7, 2012 |
Fee
payments must accompany all registrations by the deadline to qualify for the
applicable discounts.
What Does the Registration Fee Include?
Attendee Registration: The registration fee
provides full participation in the conference including registration, materials
and an abstract book. The fee also includes a Welcome Social on Sunday evening
at the host Hotel, a daily morning refreshment break, lunch, and dinner, and transportation from the host Hotel to the CREC in Lake Alfred,
Florida. Additionally the fee includes a copy of the symposium proceedings that will be published as a special volume of Acta Horticulturae.
Post Conference Field Trip:
Includes lunch and transportation. Guests may attend Refund Policy:
Requests for registration refunds will be honored if a written notification
of cancellation is received by the Office of Conference & Institutes on or
before March 13, 2012. A processing fee of $75.00 will be deducted from
all meeting participant refunds and $25.00 from all one-day participant refunds.
Sorry, no refunds will be honored for cancellation after March 13, 2012.
Special Needs: Participants with special needs
can be reasonably accommodated by contacting Jim Syvertsen at least 21 working
days prior to the conference. He can be reached by phone at 1-863-956-8677, by
Email: jmsn@ufl.edu, or by calling
1-800-955-8771 (TDD). The TDD number can only be accessed from within the State
of Florida.
Online registration is closed.
Onsite registration will be available at the conference. |
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Hotel
Accommodations

Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal
5895 Caravan Court
Orlando, FL 32819, USA
Phone: +1 407 351 0627 Fax: +1 407 351 3317
CLICK HERE for website
Maps & Directions to Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal
Please Note: Transportation will be
provided to and from the Hyatt Hotel and the Citrus Research & Education Center
each day if you signed up in advance. Please contact Dr. Jim Syvertsen for
details: jmsn@ufl.edu
Rate Information
The
Hyatt Place Orlando Universal is offering the attendees of The
International Symposium on Mechanical Harvesting (ISMH) a special rate of
$104.00 per night (single, double, triple, or quad occupancy) plus state and
local taxes (12.5%).
To Make a Reservation
Contact the Hotel directly at: 1-407-351-0627 and make sure to
state that you are a participant of the International Symposium on Mechanical
Harvesting group to receive the special discounted rate.
CLICK HERE to make an online reservation.
Check-in is 3pm and Check-out is 12Noon.
Reservation Deadline
Reservations must be received by Monday, March 12, 2012, to receive
the discounted rate. Please be aware the Hyatt Place may fill before the
discounted rate deadline, so we urge you to make your reservation as soon as
possible. After March 12, 2012, the discounted group rate is not
guaranteed on possible remaining rooms. (To receive tax exempt status,
payment must be made in the form of a government issued check, credit card or
purchase order, and, be accompanied by a Florida sales tax exemption certificate
presented at check-in.)
Room
Guarantee & Cancellation Policy
All reservations must be guaranteed and accompanied by a first night
room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. Should a guest cancel a
reservation, the deposit will be refunded if notice is received at least 72
hours prior to arrival and a cancellation number is obtained.
Hotel Overview
Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal is centrally located to all major
attractions. We are across the street from Universal Studios, Islands of
Adventure and City Walk. City Walk offers restaurants like Emeril's, Nascar
Sports Grill and Hard Rock Café as well as a wonderful night life of dancing and
entertainment. Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal is just 20 minutes from Walt Disney
World and Sea World and just one hour from Busch Gardens in Tampa. We are only a
one hour drive to both Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach.
For more information regarding local Orlando
restaurants and activities near this hotel, please visit our
Activities page. To learn more about Hyatt Place,
click here.
View our Hyatt Destinations Orlando city guide for insider information on local
culture, restaurants, shopping, events and more.
Hotel Highlights
-
This Orlando
hotel features spacious guestrooms each with the Hyatt Grand Bed™ and a 42"
flat panel HDTV
-
Complimentary
Wi-Fi available throughout the hotel; Complimentary continental breakfast
daily
-
Outdoor swimming
pool
-
24/7 Guest
Kitchen serves made-to-order snacks and entrees
-
Intimate Bakery
Café serves Starbucks® specialty coffees, premium beers and wines
-
Grab 'n Go case
offers muffins, salads, sandwiches and bottled beverages
-
e-room with
complimentary computers and a printer
-
Complimentary
onsite parking
-
this is a SMOKE
FREE Hotel
Room Amenities
-
Complimentary
Wi-Fi and high-speed DSL Internet access
-
42" flat-panel
HDTV featuring HD channels, sports packages & on-demand movies, games &
music
-
Oversized Cozy
Corner sofa-sleeper
-
Computer data
port
-
Coffee maker/tea
maker
-
AM/FM alarm
clock radio with MP3 connectivity
-
Hyatt
Plug Panel™
-
Large desk area
-
Two telephones
(one cordless) with voicemail
-
Mini-refrigerator
-
Hair dryer
-
Iron/ironing
board
-
Aquafresh®
Extreme Clean® Toothpaste Amenities
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Meeting Location
The
Citrus Research and
Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, central FL, is an internationally
recognized research facility with programs in agricultural engineering,
biotechnology, breeding and genetics, horticulture, economics, entomology and
nematology, plant pathology, physiology and biochemistry, post-harvest, soil
science, water management, fresh fruit handling and processing. The Center has a
staff of 225 people comprised of 33 faculty members of the Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. See the CREC website for more
information (www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu).
Location map:
www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/about/map/map.shtml
Please Note: Transportation will be
provided to and from the Hyatt Hotel and the Citrus Research & Education Center
each day if you signed up in advance. Please contact Dr. Jim Syvertsen for
details: jmsn@ufl.edu
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Sponsors
Booths for harvesting equipment manufacturers and sponsors are available if
purchased by March 7, 2012. Please contact Jim Syvertsen at
JMSN@ufl.edu

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Area
Information
The CREC,
located in Lake Alfred Fl, is easily accessible from either the
Orlando (45 miles) or Tampa (62 miles) airports, just off of I-4.
CREC, established in 1917 by the State of Florida was the first and
is the largest of the off-campus Experiment Stations. In addition to
housing UF/IFAS staff it also supports members of the Florida
Department of Citrus.
Lake Alfred is a city in Polk County FL, with about 4,000 residents.
Located in Central Florida, it is close to many popular tourist
destinations including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea
World and Busch Gardens. Both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts
are also easily accessible from its central location.
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Organizing Committee
Jim Syvertsen, Tree Health, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, CREC, Lake Alfred, FL
, USA
Jacqueline Burns, Abscission Chemicals & Processes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS,
CREC, Lake Alfred, FL
Michelle Danyluk, Crop Food Safety, Food Science, UF/IFAS, CREC, Lake
Alfred, FL
Robert Ebel, Tree Health, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, SWFREC Immokalee, FL
Reza Ehsani, Machine Enhancement, Ag. Engineering, UF/IFAS, CREC, Lake
Alfred, FL
|
Louise Ferguson, Fruit & Nut Education, Ag. & Environ. Sci., UC Davis, CA
Barbara Hyman, Grower Education, UF/IFAS, SWFREC, Immokalee, FL
Fritz Roka, Economics, Gr. Education, Food & Resource Econ., UF/IFAS,
SWFREC, Immokalee, FL
Tim Spann, Grower Education, Processing Concerns, Horticulture, UF/IFAS,
Lake Alfred, CREC, FL
Jodie
Whitney,
Mechanical Harvesting, Ag. Engineering (Emeritus), UF/IFAS, CREC, Lake Alfred,
FL |
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For
Further Information
Symposium Information
Dr. Jim Syvertsen
Faculty Organizer
University of Florida/IFAS, CREC
700 Experiment Station Road
Lake Alfred, FL 33850
Phone: (863) 956-1151
Fax: (863) 956-4631
Email: jmsn@ufl.edu |
Registration Information
Sharon Borneman,
CGMP
Conference Coordinator
University of Florida/IFAS
Office of Conferences & Institutes
Bldg. 639 Mowry Road
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750
Phone: (352) 392-5930
Fax: (352) 392-9734
Email: spb@ufl.edu |
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