2013 Annual Report for FNC13-927
Small Mechanical Harvester for Edamame and Green Bean Production
Summary
Edamame and green bean production is challenging for small farmers due to the difficulty of hand separating beans and plants, so we propose to design and build a small pull-behind harvester that can be built on-farm and will increase economic competitiveness and sustainability of local vegetable bean production.
Objectives/Performance Targets
The objectives of this project are:
1. Build edamame harvester
2. Test performance of harvester on various edamame varieties
3. Conduct outreach on harvester design, construction and use
Accomplishments/Milestones
The edamame harvester is currently under construction. Ethan Marshall took a summer job in another state in 2013, which delayed construction. He has been working on the harvester since January, 2014 and expects to have it assembled by May, 2014. Field testing will begin in summer of 2014. Outreach will be conducted in winter of 2014-2015.
Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes
No outcomes have yet been realized because harvester is still under construction.