Nah, it ain't as bad as a corn head on most fields that are prepped right.
There are some spots where ya have to be all over the controls and need 4 hands though. The object is to keep the catch plates low on the bush, where they aren't as open so losses are kept minimal, but not so low as to drag the frame and lug platforms on uneven ground. Little Hills on an off camber row SUCKS! Sorta like a diabolical video game at .4mph.
Blueberries don't "ripen" much at all if picked green or red, they stay acidic and sour but turn a bit more blue.
The machine harvested stuff goes to process products that aren't dependent on perfect appearance, and green fruit is lighter than ripe. We also get graded on Green and over ripe, so green is a double bad thing.
Every grower has thier own method, but about 2 weeks into July we all start "Beat checking" the bushes . Basicly you want the ripe to come off with just a tickle, and leave the reds and greens for a couple days later.
If the hand pickers did thier job right, they got all the first ripe "Leaders" off, so over ripe wont be an issue, and you can turn up the beaters untill the green come off, and then back off a smidge or increase ground speed. There's a whole lotta "touchy feely" developed intuition involved, that no computer could ever manage.
Some crazy Aussies have come up with some whiz bang sensors, and computer controlled beaters that look promising, but so far they wont hold up in the real world. I give it another 10 years and they might be viable but still prohibitively expensive.
Crazy thing is, there IS a market for the Green fruit, even if we get docked for it.
The processors sell it to the dietary suppliment and dye industry, where it gets turned into ink, clothing dye, food coloring, and Vitamin ingredients.
That Blue "USDA" stamp on the steaks at the market? LOL! Yep. Green Blueberrys.
Same thing wih the color in Kids Crayons.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
