harvesting costs
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Agronomy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Przemysław Baraniecki ◽  
Francesco Latterini ◽  
Walter Stefanoni ◽  
Jakub Frankowski ◽  
Katarzyna Wielgusz ◽  
...  

After many decades when its cultivation was prohibited, hemp is regaining its position as one of the most versatile cultivated crops. Multiplication of monoecious hemp varieties requires manual male plants rouging to keep a high share of monoecious plants in the population. It forces relatively small multiplication fields usually oscillating around 5 ha, where the use of big harvesting machines is not economically feasible. The B-800 mower prototype for hemp panicles proved to be a good alternative to harvest seeds of tall fibrous hemp. The test results of the mower analyzed in this study show that although seed loss on a moderate slope (0.37%) was significantly higher than on a flat slope (0.13%), it was still much lower than in the case of harvesting hemp seed with a combined harvester. Moreover, the field efficiency of 93% is very satisfactory as it is reported for much bigger machines. Finally, the harvesting costs proved to be much lower than most of the machines used for harvesting hemp seed.


Author(s):  
Eddy Plasquy ◽  
Maria del Carmen Florido ◽  
Antonio Higinio Sánchez

In order to make harvesting table olives profitable, mechanical harvesting has become an absolute necessity. Many small Andalusian producers face structural and financial constraints in implementing the mechanisation of harvesting and, as a consequence, the fruit is still harvested manually. A manual inverted umbrella (MIU), initially designed for harvesting oil olives, was evaluated in order to determine the extent in which this device can optimise the harvesting without jeopardising the fruit quality. Simultaneously, the effects of a diluted lye treatment, applied to prevent the proliferation of brown spots caused by bruising during mechanical harvesting, was also studied. The quality of the harvested fruit was evaluated after complete fermentation. The results indicate that when no diluted lye treatment was applied, using the MIU resulted in a slightly inferior fruit quality. However, when the amount of heavily damaged fruit is taken as a standard, the MIU presented results comparable to those obtained by manual harvesting. The MIU does, therefore, offer small producers an efficient alternative, given that manual harvesting costs are up to three times higher than the costs incurred during MIU harvesting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Diniz ◽  
John Sessions

In this paper, we introduce a Microsoft Excel Workbook containing the software Equipment Selection Problem DS (ESPDS) that recognizes the special structure of the equipment selection problem. The ESPDS approach is based on the context of the Brazilian forestry sector using detailed equipment maintenance schedules. No special restrictions are needed on cost inputs over time or technologies. The output is an equipment schedule that can be used to project equipment investment needs, operational costs, and tree harvesting costs. ESPDS can be applied to support companies and contractors in order to choose the best option for their operations, as well as to achieve better equipment purchase agreements. We will show how ESPDS will also be useful in providing longer term estimates of production costs. The sensitivity analysis shows how different inputs and maintenance polices can affect the best alternative. A numerical example is included considering the entrance of a specific technology that increases the equipment productivity in order to examine whether it can change the solution. ESPDS is intuitive, flexible, and easy to calculate. Although designed for the forestry industry, the approach is readily transferable to other sectors. ESPDS may be found on the web at the following URL: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350811380_ESPDS_workbook">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350811380_ESPDS_workbook</a>.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1328
Author(s):  
Kari Väätäinen ◽  
Pekka Hyvönen ◽  
Ville Kankaanhuhta ◽  
Juha Laitila ◽  
Hannu Hirvelä

Upscaling an operation typically results in economies of scale, i.e., cost advantages in business, especially when the production unit’s utilization rate can be improved. According to economic studies of mechanized timber harvesting, large wood harvesting entrepreneurs tend to be more successful in business than small entrepreneurs. What are the factors that influence harvesting costs, and how great is their effect on costs? These questions were investigated in mechanized cut-to-length timber harvesting in Eastern Finland by varying (a) the size of the harvesting fleet, (b) the harvesting site reserve, and (c) the timing and duration of the working day of machine relocations, in the case of an entrepreneur using a discrete-event simulation method. Prior to the simulations, harvesting site data were generated from the National Forest Inventory data by the MELA software, and the spatial data analyses by ArcGIS. According to the results, largely because of the low utilization rate of the contractor’s own relocation truck, the harvesting cost of a 2-harvesting-unit (2 HU) scenario was 9% or 6% higher than 4 HU, and 13% or 8% higher than 8 HU, with or without a specifically employed driver of a relocation truck, respectively (the harvesting unit consists of a harvester and a forwarder). In the 4 and 8 HU scenarios, harvesting costs decreased on average by 1% (0.3–1.5), when doubling the size of the harvesting site reserve. With fleet sizes of 6 and 8 HU, good utilization of a relocation truck reduced relocation costs, whereas machine costs only increased a small amount because of a longer machine relocation waiting time than with smaller entrepreneurs. The study raised the importance of entrepreneur-specific planning of machine relocations in the cost-efficient timber harvesting in Finland.


2021 ◽  
Vol 323 ◽  
pp. 124606
Author(s):  
Simona Lucakova ◽  
Irena Branyikova ◽  
Sara Kovacikova ◽  
Martin Pivokonsky ◽  
Monika Filipenska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Mike Nichols ◽  

The majority of strawberries produced in the world are grown in the open field, and only in the past 50 years has protected cropping become established as a commercially viable system. Soilless culture (hydroponics) is an important component of this form of intensive production because it enables the strawberry crop to be grown above the ground (table top system) which can provides an improved root environment, nutrition and irrigation and at the same time easier fruit harvesting. Solid media systems predominate over liquid based systems with peat and coir being the most popular media. Future production appears to be increasingly towards year round production by the improved control of the plant environment, combined with reducing harvesting costs by robotic harvesting.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 404
Author(s):  
Mohammed Zwawi

Increased environmental concerns and global warming have diverted focus from eco-friendly bio-composites. Naturals fibers are abundant and have low harvesting costs with adequate mechanical properties. Hazards of synthetic fibers, recycling issues, and toxic byproducts are the main driving factors in the research and development of bio-composites. Bio-composites are degradable, renewable, non-abrasive, and non-toxic, with comparable properties to those of synthetic fiber composites and used in many applications in various fields. A detailed analysis is carried out in this review paper to discuss developments in bio-composites. The review covers structure, morphology, and modifications of fiber, mechanical properties, degradable matrix materials, applications, and limitations of bio-composites. Some of the key sectors employing bio-composites are the construction, automobile, and packaging industries. Furthermore, bio-composites are used in the field of medicine and cosmetics.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2066
Author(s):  
Lydia Jane Farrell ◽  
Stephen Todd Morris ◽  
Paul R. Kenyon ◽  
Peter R. Tozer

Considering the current low prices for coarse wool (fibre diameter > 30 µm), a grading up transition to a shedding flock may eliminate wool harvesting costs and increase sheep farm profit. This transition could be achieved by breeding non-shedding ewes with Wiltshire rams. A bio-economic system-dynamics model of a pastoral sheep farming enterprise was used to simulate this grading up transition from 2580 Romney ewes to a similarly-sized flock of fully shedding third or fourth cross Wiltshire–Romney ewes. The total annual sheep feed demand was constrained within a ±5% range to minimise disruption to the on-farm beef cattle enterprise. Wool harvesting expenses were eliminated after seven years of transition, and with reduced feed demand for wool growth, the post-transition shedding flocks had more ewes producing more lambs and achieving greater annual profit compared with the base Romney flock. The net present values of transition were 7% higher than the maintenance of the base Romney flock with a farmgate wool price of $2.15/kg. Results suggest that coarse wool-producing farmers should consider a grading up transition to a shedding flock, and the collection of data on the production of Wiltshire–Romney sheep in New Zealand would improve the accuracy of model predictions.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelvin Njuguna Karing'u ◽  
Hezron Nyarindo Isaboke ◽  
Samuel Njiri Ndirangu

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of transactional costs on smallholder avocado farmers’ participation in the export market and the extent of participation in Murang’a County, Kenya.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 384 avocado farmers in Murang’a County, following stratified sampling. The Heckman two-stage model was used for analysis.FindingsResults showed that the cost of information search was an important variable that impedes smallholders’ participation in export marketing while harvesting costs inhibits the extent of participation in export marketing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used data at the farm level. Therefore, insights on transaction costs among other marketing agents in the export market value chain would be an issue for future studies.Originality/valueFollowing the debate on transaction costs and market participation among farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa, this paper models transactional costs and export market participation among avocado smallholders and measures the extent of participation with the inclusion of harvesting costs, negotiation costs, monitoring costs and information search costs that are not common in previous studies, thus contributing to the development of literature.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Latterini ◽  
Walter Stefanoni ◽  
Alessandro Suardi ◽  
Vincenzo Alfano ◽  
Simone Bergonzoli ◽  
...  

The valorization of agricultural residues plays a fundamental role in renewable energy production. Particularly, the management of olive orchards in Lazio region generates a considerable amount of biomass that is currently unexploited, but it could represent a valid source of solid biofuel for energy production in the Lazio region (Italy). Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach entirely based on open source software, five suitable areas (A, B, C, D and E) have been selected as eligible for hosting and feeding a 1 MWe power plant. Harvesting and transportation costs were also calculated. The harvesting operation costs were EUR 96.79 Mgfm−1 in A, while they ranged from EUR 49.83 Mgfm−1 (E) up to EUR 56.51 Mgfm−1 (D) for the other sub-areas. Sub-area A showed also higher transport costs, EUR 21.55 Mgfm−1 while the same value ranged from EUR 14.75 Mgfm−1 (E) to EUR 16.59 Mgfm−1 (B) in the other sub-areas. However harvesting costs resulted higher than those reported in the literature, mainly due to the low pruning yield per surface unit, an aspect which is directly related to the olive grove’s management in the region where annual pruning is the usual practice. Future developments of the present study should encompass the social and environmental aspects of residual biomass supply chains herein proposed.


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