Asparagus Harvester Slashes Costs and Eliminates Labor Problems

Machine harvesting asparagus with a Geiger-Lund asparagus harvester reduces the cost of harvesting dramatically by reducing the amount of costly hand labor required. Harvesting costs represent about half of the total costs of growing asparagus. By switching to machine harvesting growers will be able to compete more effectively against asparagus imported from Mexico and Chile.





The harvesters reduce the cost of harvesting by dramatically reducing the number of field workers needed. You do need a tractor driver. It takes one manual laborer 2 hours to harvest one acre of asparagus. The Geiger-Lund 3-row harvester can harvest over 5 acres per hour. (3mph with 54 inch row centers). By running the harvester 20 hours per day it can replace a crew of 20 men. The payroll for 20 men is substantial.



It is also getting harder and harder to find enough workers to harvest asparagus. One problem is the tendency for the crews to abandon the asparagus harvest early when other crops like cherries and apples are ready to be harvested since they are easier to harvest and they pay better. Tougher border enforcement and low wages are also driving the shortage of workers for this back-breaking labor. When fields get near the end of their life they begin producing mostly small diameter spears which the field workers don’t want to cut because they are paid by the pound.



Growers using the harvester can also eliminate the labor camps and other labor related problems and costs.



The model 24 series of harvesters must be pre-ordered at which time Geiger-Lund will build the machine for the order. For more information visit the web site: Stockton, CA, September 15, 2015 --( PR.com )-- Geiger-Lund Harvesters is introducing the Model 24 series of asparagus harvesters featuring low-cost, one, two, and three-row asparagus harvesters. The harvesters can bring the cost of harvesting down from its current estimated 50 cents per pound to under 10 cents per pound. Harvesting asparagus is expensive due to the costly hand labor required. Harvesting accounts for as much as half of the total cost of growing asparagus.The harvesters reduce the cost of harvesting by dramatically reducing the number of field workers needed. You do need a tractor driver. It takes one manual laborer 2 hours to harvest one acre of asparagus. The Geiger-Lund 3-row harvester can harvest over 5 acres per hour. (3mph with 54 inch row centers). By running the harvester 20 hours per day it can replace a crew of 20 men. The payroll for 20 men is substantial.It is also getting harder and harder to find enough workers to harvest asparagus. One problem is the tendency for the crews to abandon the asparagus harvest early when other crops like cherries and apples are ready to be harvested since they are easier to harvest and they pay better. Tougher border enforcement and low wages are also driving the shortage of workers for this back-breaking labor. When fields get near the end of their life they begin producing mostly small diameter spears which the field workers don’t want to cut because they are paid by the pound.Growers using the harvester can also eliminate the labor camps and other labor related problems and costs.The model 24 series of harvesters must be pre-ordered at which time Geiger-Lund will build the machine for the order. For more information visit the web site: http://www.asparagusharvester.com