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Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion open at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

The Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion is once again showcasing Northern Ontario-produced agri-food products during the 2023 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Opened on November 3, the 10-day event runs until November 12 at Exhibition Place in Toronto.

The Royal is the largest indoor agricultural and equestrian event in the world, drawing more than 300,000 visitors annually to experience the food, products and events.

The Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion has been a major part of the fair for more than 20 years, providing a unique opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and services on an international stage.

Patty Hajdu, minister for FedNor, which sponsors the event, told BayToday that it's a good opportunity for Northern Ontario businesses to get exposure they wouldn't normally have the resources to achieve.

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Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

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Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.