Future labour – crop load optimisation

September 2016 | Prepared by Craig Hornblow and Jonathan Brookes, AgFirst | Future Orchards® Future Labour notes

These Future Labour notes connect crop-load optimisation with labour efficiency. Craig Hornblow and Jonathan Brookes examine how better pruning, chemical thinning, hand thinning and crop-load targets can reduce unnecessary labour while still producing the fruit size and quality required by the market.

The resource treats labour as part of the production system rather than a separate cost line. Poor crop-load decisions can create expensive hand-thinning work, increase variability between trees and make harvest less efficient. Conversely, clear fruit-number targets and timely thinning allow crews to work to an objective that can be checked and measured.

For growers facing rising labour costs, the notes support a disciplined sequence: establish the desired yield and fruit size, use pruning and chemical thinning to move the crop towards that target, then use hand thinning as a final precision step. The approach aims to improve both labour productivity and crop consistency.