Glenn Wright and the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association had coordinated for us to visit a date pack house and plantation near San Luis in Mexico, kindly escorted by Andrew.
We were shown around the pack house and plantation by Everado and Cesar.
(This photo: Dave, Glenn & Andrew listening to Everardo explain how the pack house operates).
Cesar, Glenn, Jonte, Anita, Dave & Everardo.
One couldn't image a better, more uniform plantation for premium large fruit production. Everything was neat and tidy and extremely well managed, right down to aerial offshoots being bagged to encourage root development. Fronds and thorns from the de-thorning process were all raked up and removed.
Jonte and Dave in a Mexican plantation.
The highlight of the day for us was going up into the canopy of the date palms on a reach lift/basket with a team of about 6 workers. We were coached in the process of fruit thinning Medjool at the small, green, marble size stage.
Jonte learning how to thin Medjool.
Thinned and un-thinned bunches.
Finished off a great morning with a superb feast of Mexican seafood.
On re-entering the US, Andrew drove us to Datepac in Yuma where we were given a tour of the very high-tech packing house.
Glenn Wright and the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association had coordinated for us to visit a date pack house and plantation near San Luis in Mexico, kindly escorted by Andrew. 
We were shown around the pack house and plantation by Everado and Cesar. (This photo: Dave, Glenn & Andrew listening to Everardo explain how the pack house operates).
Cesar, Glenn, Jonte, Anita, Dave & Everardo.
One couldn't image a better, more uniform plantation for premium large fruit production. Everything was neat and tidy and extremely well managed, right down to aerial offshoots being bagged to encourage root development. Fronds and thorns from the de-thorning process were all raked up and removed.
Jonte and Dave in a Mexican plantation.
The highlight of the day for us was going up into the canopy of the date palms on a reach lift/basket with a team of about 6 workers. We were coached in the process of fruit thinning Medjool at the small, green, marble size stage.
Jonte learning how to thin Medjool.
Thinned and un-thinned bunches.
Finished off a great morning with a superb feast of Mexican seafood.
On re-entering the US, Andrew drove us to Datepac in Yuma where we were given a tour of the very high-tech packing house.
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