The smart orchard of the future

In recent years, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) has focused activities on the Smart Orchard concept, fruit harvest automation, and associated novel collaborations to accelerate technology innovation and adoption. These investments in industry priority areas have significantly increased productivity, improved product quality and helped growers remain economically viable in a globally competitive marketplace. We believe that it is necessary to focus on building and maintaining vibrant public-private partnerships with tree fruit scientists and companies worldwide, along with active involvement of diverse industry members. This approach, in our opinion, empowers the entire industry to shape its own future through innovation.