In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and Rod Cook, industry veteran and the chair of the Blueberry Technology and Innovation Committee, are joined by Gary Thompson, chief operating officer at GUSS Automation, to discuss the possibility of labor-saving spraying automation and how it might fit into a commercial blueberry operation. 

“We’re held to such a high threshold [by farmers], we’ve got to perform. That’s what we do … from day one we set out to make a very simple, robust design … it’s easy to work on, it’s easy to diagnose problems and it’s easy to operate.” - Gary Thompson

“Let alone the autonomy, it is one of the best field sprayers you’ll ever look at.” - Gary Thompson

Topics covered include: 

• How GUSS got started in the automation spraying business through the almond industry. 
• GUSS automated sprayers and their role in saving labor costs on farming operations. 
• The simplicity of GUSS sprayers and the high standards farmers have for autonomous equipment. 
• Partnering with dealers and creating a service network. 
• Potential applications on blueberry farms. 

Check out our full collection of technology episodes! 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North and South America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Doug Krahmer in Oregon, Bryan Sakuma in Washington, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Rex Schultz in Michigan. This was recorded on August 25, 2021.  

Marketing Boost

Using data is more important than ever to drive blueberry sales. In this week’s marketing boost, USHBC/NABC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Sparks talks about the robust USHBC Data and Insights Center and how it can help your business’ marketing plan. 

Fall Event Registration

There’s still time to register for Innovate 2021: USHBC+NABC Tech Symposium and Fall Meetings! You don’t want to miss the tech-focused learning, opportunities to network and critical information shared in the meetings. The event takes place at The Grand Hotel in Salem, Oregon, September 27-October 1, or you can attend virtually. Register today at blueberryevents.org.