Celebrating Electric Farming Innovation at the Pre-Harvest Cherry Tour

This blog post was written by Max Hanley, an intern from University of Portland working with Sustainable Northwest.

What if we could merge tradition with innovation, fostering sustainable practices while celebrating the rich heritage of cherry farming? This vision comes to life each year at the Pre-Harvest Cherry Tour hosted by Oregon State University Extension. This year, I had the privilege of joining this event, witnessing firsthand how the cherry industry is embracing change for a better future.

Held in the Columbia River Gorge, the tour attracted around 100 attendees, including many local orchardists from Wasco and Hood River Counties in Oregon, and Klickitat County and the Yakima Valley area in Washington State. 

A key highlight of the tour was the display of cutting-edge electric farming equipment. The E-Farms team attended the event to showcase a variety of the electric farming equipment available through the E-Farms program, including a Monarch 40hp MK-V tractor, Polaris UTV, Ford F-150 truck, and a UBCO work bike. Papé also attended, displaying a GEM car and Tuatara 4x4.

The showstopper was undoubtedly the Monarch tractor, demonstrating its full autonomous feature as it effortlessly mowed orchard rows without a driver. This demonstration was a testament to the strides being made towards sustainable and efficient farming practices.

Robert Wallace (Wy’East RC&D) and David Skakel (Forth), partners from our E-Farms team, presented at the event, sharing information about the E-Farms program. They highlighted how our team is working to understand where this equipment works best, compare it to traditional combustion models, and reduce barriers to access and adoption of electric equipment on working lands. There are many benefits of converting diesel farm equipment to electric, from air quality improvements and fuel savings to increased resilience on the farm.

While the tour was a celebration of technological progress, it also underscored the challenges faced by the cherry industry due to climate change. Recent years have seen growers contending with extreme weather events, such as wildfires and heatwaves, which threaten the quality and yield of cherry crops. This year's tour highlighted the industry's resilience and commitment to adapting to these changes.

The Pre-Harvest Cherry Tour left me with a sense of optimism. The agricultural community is not only aware of the challenges posed by climate change, but is actively seeking solutions. From electric tractors to sustainable farming practices, the innovations on display were beacons of progress. This event reinforced the importance of supporting and celebrating the advancements in our agricultural communities.

Interested in electric farming innovations? Explore our newly launched E-Farms website for more information.