Limoneira focuses on sustainability

Sustainability will be a priority at Santa Paula, Calif.-based Limoneira Co. this summer, said John Chamberlain, marketing director.

“Technology is at the forefront and is used in our growing and harvesting operations as we integrate soil moisture monitoring, nutrient monitoring and connectivity monitoring in our agricultural practices,” he said.

The company uses drones, infrared map imagery and soil moisture probes among other innovative techniques to enhance orchard and supply productivity, he said.

Limoneira already has six solar installations totaling 4.2 million kilowatt hours annually, he said, and plans for 2017 include adding additional solar sources on the packinghouse roof for 2.8 million kilowatt hours, for a total of 7 million kilowatt hours annually.

“Our objective is to be off the grid completely by 2022,” he said.

A new project in partnership with Tesla is studying the efficacy of battery systems paired to one of the company’s solar arrays to reduce energy demand during the day and offset that use with less expensive nighttime energy from a battery, Chamberlain said.

Also, Limoneira has a new, low carbon footprint natural wastewater system that has a series of gravity fed ponds that circulate and clean water with natural vegetation and fine gravel, he said. Ultraviolet rays remove bacteria.

“The water is currently used for landscape irrigation,” he said, and may eventually be used to irrigate orchards.

Limoneira communicates to its global grocery and foodservice partners’ customers with weekly promotional videos that highlight the benefits of citrus — health, beauty, recipes, green cleaning and lifestyle — and generate 1 million advertising impressions monthly to build awareness for customer programs, he said.