RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 5, 2013
8 NEWS
Long road to the first harvest A N D REW SWA LLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz
ASPARAGUS IS not a crop for the impatient. Three years after planting crowns on 10ha of his farm at Seadown, South
Canterbury, Alan Newton is just completing his first harvest. He’s also celebrating the successful operation of an all-locally designed and built picker made specifically for his needs. “Once
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we’ve got the design finalised it will be available commercially.” The machine carries five pickers lying face down about 50cm above the crop. As they travel along the rows they slice
off the tender spears passing below them. The machine’s speed depends on the thickness of the crop – a brisk walk would be typical. “Sometimes it’s better to go a bit faster and leave one or
Eyes down for asparagus: a picker at work on Newton’s new machine.
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two [spears] behind,” says Newton. A couple of walking pickers – the traditional method – follow to harvest any such leftovers. Before the machine arrived, a team of pickers used to spend two days walking the paddock. After two days on the machine, Newton asked them which they preferred: “machine!” they all said. Work rate is also much better so the substantial investment – Newton’s reluctant to put a figure on it as design and development costs were one-offs they hope to spread with commercial sales – should prove worthwhile. During this year’s harvest Newton has controlled the hydraulically driven machine by handheld remote, either from a platform onboard or walking behind. GPS steering is the next step. For safety, all pickers have an emergency stop button to hand. At the end of a bout, pickers dismount, the outer positions fold up, and the machine’s
manoeuvred around onto the next five rows. A seven-row model is planned. During the harvest period every row is picked every day, starting 7am and finishing by 2pm, which gives an indication of work rate with the machine. Harvest this year will run for about 60 days, says Newton, but when the crowns are more mature that might push out to 90 days. After harvest the crop’s left to produce ferns, regenerating the crowns underground ready for the next spring’s harvest. Nearly all Newton’s spears are marketed through Leader Brand, Rakaia, which in turn distributes them throughout New Zealand. Local farm shop The Blue Barn on State Highway One, owned and operated by Newton’s neighbour, Waipopo Orchards, is the only other outlet. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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GEOFF LEWIS, chair of Hort NZ’s asparagus product group, says Newton’s entry into the crop is bucking the trend. “Grower numbers and area have tended to decline. There’s been significant rationalisation in the industry, as in other horticultural sectors.” In 2009 total production was about 2100t, from roughly 600ha, with about half the crop exported. Lewis, an exporter himself, says that market’s changed from taking commodity-type carton product to demanding pre-packed produce. “A large part of the decline has been in area grown for canning but there’s also been a decline in the area grown for fresh export.” New Zealand’s main asparagus regions are Waikato, Hawkes Bay and south west North Island. “It’s because the south has a later spring and shorter [picking] season.”
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