Roger Bailey of Kalwood Farms in Oyama, B.C. is this year’s recipient of the Award of Excellence for Agricultural Innovation. Bailey was recognized for his mobile work platform that creates safer and more efficient working conditions in orchards.
Using recycled Japanese rice harvesters, Bailey adapted the design for use in orchards. The resulting mobile work platform includes a platform system, safety railings and a hydraulic forklift, and runs on a small diesel engine. The platform can carry two workers at a time and is used for pruning, thinning and picking.
Without the need for ladders, Bailey’s mobile work platform helps reduce worker fatigue and injury rates. The platform also increases labour productivity and is more fuel-efficient than conventional machinery used to transport harvest bins, creating significant cost savings for farmers.
The IAF Award of Excellence for Innovation in Agriculture and Agri-Food celebrates ideas, products, projects and programs generated by the agriculture and agri-food industry that deliver economic, environmental or social benefits to British Columbia. This year’s award was announced on January 27 at the BC Agriculture Council’s Agri-Food Industry Gala in Abbotsford.
