What is harvesting?

Whatisharvesting?

Harvesting isthe actof removing acrop from where itwasgrowing and moving itto amore secure locationfor processing,consumption,or storage

Some rootcropsand tree fruitcanbe leftinthe eld or orchard and harvested asneeded,butmostcropsreachaperiod of maximum quality thatis,theyripenor mature—and will deteriorate if leftexposed to the elements While the major factor determining the time of harvestisthe maturityof the crop,other factorssuchasweather,availabilityof harvest equipment,pickers,packing and storage facilities,and transportare importantconsiderations

Economicand marketing issuesare oftenevenmore importantthan considerationsof maturityindeciding whento harvestacommodity Before the crop canbe harvested,the grower mustbe sure thatthere isademand for the crop and thatthe price issufcientto make harvesting the crop protable If the price islessthanadequate to cover the costsof production, harvesting,and marketing,growersare faced withthe difcultdecision whether to harvestand store the crop,to waitfor abetter market,or to cut their lossesand leave the crop inthe eld

The Process Of Harvesting

Harvesting canbe separated into three steps The plantpartof interestmustbe identied,detached from the restof the plant,and thencollected inacontainer suitable for transportfrom the eld

The harvesting of all the major agronomiccrops(grainsof cereals and legumes) hasbeenmechanized The resistance of dried cereal and legume seeds(for example,corn,rice,wheat,and soybeans) to physical damage allowsthe rstand second stepsto be combined in athreshing machine or combine thatseparatesthe seedsfrom the restof the harvested plant The grain(seeds) isthenloaded inbulk containersand transported to silosfor additional cleaning,grading, fumigation,and temporarystorage

Incontrastto the drygrainsand legumes,mosthorticultural crops (eshyfruitssuchasapplesand tomatoes,ornamentals,and vegetables) are hand harvested for the freshmarket Some mechanical harvesting isdone,butthe damage incurred isusuallyso severe thatthe fruitsand vegetablesare onlytfor processing

Some fruits(for example,apple,pear,and tomato) evolved to ensure seed distributionbyenticing animalsto eatthe attractive (in

animalsto eatthe attractive (in appearance,aroma,and avor) fruit Therefore,theyare almost alwaysattached to the plantbyaspecialized structure thatcontains an “abscissionzone”whichpermitsthe ripe fruitto be easily separated from the tree Other fruit,suchasbananas,citrus,peppers, and all vegetables(for example,cabbage,broccoli,carrots,lettuce, and squash) do notdevelop anabscissionzone and mustbe cutfrom the plant

Onlyhumanbeingshave the unique combinationof eyes,brain,and handsthatpermitsthe rapid identicationand harvestof delicate and perishable materialswithminimal lossand bruising Some mechanical aidssuchascherrypickers,ladders,picking bagsor baskets,stem clippers,and wheelbarrowsare used byharvestersto make their work easier,faster,and safer Harvesterscanbe trained to selectonlythose fruitsor vegetablesthatare of the correctmaturity, size,or shape,thusgreatlyreducing the amountof material that mustbe removed onthe sorting and grading line inthe packing shed Infact,manyvegetablesand berriesare harvested directlyinto retail containerswithoutfurther sizing or grading Mostother horticultural cropsare harvested into eld binsthatare takento packing shedswhere the commoditiesare cleaned,sorted,graded, inspected,packed,cooled,and stored before being transported to regional markets

US WheatAssociates(USW) activelyseeksto bring downtrade barriersor change policiesthatmaypreventanoverseascustomer from choosing US wheat Inmostcases,these barriersviolate acountry’scommitmentsunder the World Trade Organization(WTO) or afree trade agreement(FTA)

EveryFriday,US WheatAssociates(USW) compilesinformationfrom marketsources,including US wheatexportersof all classesfrom US exportports The price indicationsrepresentthe value of grade number two or better and the proteinsindicated These pricesare notintended to representoffers,nor should importersof US wheatrelyuponthem as such Actual offerswill varydepending oncontractspecications,loading termsand other contracttermsand conditions

As a keypart of its commitment to transparency,US Wheat Associates (USW)produces anannual Crop QualityReport that includes grade, our and end-product data for all six US wheat classes

The reportiscompiled from sample testing and analysisconducted during and after harvestbyour partner laboratories The reportprovidesessential, objective informationto help buyersgetthe wheattheyneed atthe best value possible USW sharesthe datawithcustomersinpersonand ata seriesof annual Crop QualitySeminarsaround the world During harvest, preliminaryreportsoncrop qualitybyclassare posted inweeklyHarvest Reports

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C– US WheatAssociatesC

Asakeypartof itscommitmentto transparency,US WheatAssociates (USW) producesanannual Crop QualityReport