Raisin Farming

                   

          For years the raisin farmers have had a stable market, and there was no great need for change. Times have changed.
          As a result, Sat Araki, a raisin farmer plans to "bulldoze" his older grape vineyard and no longer have his grapes hand-picked and placed on paper trays on the ground to dry and become raisins.
          Mr. Araki chose to adopt several new farming technologies: He plans to raise "Selma Pete grapes," a newly available variety of the Thompson Seedless grape, convert his vineyard to an open gable trellis system, install drip irrigation to water his vines, plant his vines in rows running in a north to south direction and use the new DOV harvester to harvest his drying-on-the-vine raisins.
          Mr. Araki speaks of new technologies, harvesting regulations, rules, and problems facing the raisin farmers. Click below to hear a 20 second sound excerpt found on the CD as Mr. Araki predicts "What the future holds for the raisin farmers."

Click to listen to Sat Araki.