SIMULATION OF HARVESTING ASPARAGUS: MECHANICAL VS MANUAL

Asparagus harvesting methods and strategies have remained unchanged since inception in Washington. A bioeconomic model was developed to determine the profit optimizing frequency of harvesting for manual and mechanical harvesting techniques. The mechanical harvester is economically viable if the harvester cuts 72.3 percent and 73.55 percent of what a hand crew would cut for process and fresh utilization, respectively. The results indicate that decreasing the frequency of harvest increases profit for asparagus used in processing. This research is the first attempt to address the problem of asparagus harvesting with a bioeconomic model