After 17 years of harvesting sweet cherries, I finally did something I've never done before. Instead of harvesting into tanks like we always have, we're switching to harvesting sweet cherries into field boxes using a brand-new piece of equipment. It's a huge change for our operation, and we had no idea how the first day would go.

Come along as we put this new harvest system to the test on our Northern Michigan cherry farm. You'll see the new equipment in action, the challenges of changing a process we've relied on for years, and whether harvesting sweet cherries into boxes is worth the investment. If you're interested in farming, orchard management, agricultural equipment, or seeing what modern fruit production really looks like, this is one you won't want to miss.

A huge thank you to Gillison's Variety Fabrication for helping make this new harvest system possible. Their commitment to designing innovative orchard equipment has helped growers improve efficiency and fruit quality for decades, and we appreciate their support of this project.

If you're looking for dependable orchard, vineyard, or specialty crop equipment—or need a custom-built solution for your operation—be sure to check out Gillison's Variety Fabrication and see their full lineup of equipment built by growers, for growers.

00:00 We've Never Done This Before
00:38 Why We're Changing Our Harvest System
01:42 Meeting the New Equipment
03:05 Getting Everything Set Up
04:36 Harvest Begins
06:18 First Impressions in the Orchard
08:04 Solving Problems Along the Way
09:47 Is Harvesting Into Boxes Better?
11:08 Final Thoughts After Day One

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👍 If you enjoyed the video, leave a comment below:
Would you rather harvest into boxes or tanks?

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