Americas Conservation Ag Movement

Hurricane Helene: One Year Later

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:41:24 GMT

Chris White is 46 years old. For more than half of that time, he’s been a blueberry farmer in his hometown of Baxley, Ga. He’s seen a lot, both as a farmer and also as a resident in southeast Georgia, an area of the country that’s not quite hurricane ground zero but that can certainly find itself adjacent to the many tropical storms and hurricanes that make landfall each year.

But he’d never seen anything like what happened to his community the night of Sept. 26, 2024.

Located in the southeastern part of the state, Baxley was one of the many towns that took a direct hit from Hurricane Helene. Overnight, the hurricane pummeled the area with 100-plus mph wind gusts and rainfall that triggered flooding, resulting in 37 deaths in the state.

When White and his fellow farmers awoke the next morning, they were unprepared for what they saw.

One of the farms that makes up Appling Blueberry Farms had sat ripe with mature blueberry bushes just the day before. Now, it was decimated – the entire blueberry canopy flattened to the ground. Surrounded by debris, he recalls having to walk 3 miles on foot to get to his equipment shed.

“I drove the tractor back here to the field and when I pulled to the road and saw it, I just turned around and didn’t come back for six days,” White says.

“Just imagine the entire thing on the ground. “It was devastating,” he adds.

Down the road in the neighboring city of Alma, Randy Miller spent the morning with the same ache in his gut. Looking out on his family’s timber operation, Miller saw his 1,400 acres of timberland in shambles.

“We lost 300 acres of timber in the 30 to 40-year range,” he says.

Miller thought of his timber acres largely as his 401k — a savings he could grow to maturity and then harvest as a security blanket for retirement.

“I’m 64 years old, and that was basically my lifetime’s marketable timber that was gone,” he says.

Randy Miller had invested time and energy in growing a pinewood plantation that he hoped to market at maturity. Hurricane Helene’s 100-plus mph winds decimated 300 acres of his trees.

(Randy Miller)

The Clean-Up

While White remained in denial about his crop’s demise, Miller didn’t have the time. Even felled timber has a window where harvest remains possible, but time is critical. He started calling his timber cutting contacts, but he was already behind. Other landowners had called before him.

“It took months before they could get to us,” Miller says.

“Before the Hurricane, we sold 60 acres of timber worth roughly $4,000 per acre,” he says. “After it, we picked up 150 acres and got a check for $47,000.

“Some people got nothing, so we were lucky that we’d gotten $4 a ton for ours, which is basically nothing,” he adds.

In Baxley, White finally started ripping out his destroyed blueberry bushes. In order to plant more, he had to start from scratch and rebuild the field infrastructure, such as bark mounds and drip lines.

But then he couldn’t find plants.

“We called all over the U.S. to find plants,” he recalls. “We had plants come from Oregon and Florida. We really had to struggle to get them.”

Appling Blueberry Farms planted the last of its replacement bushes in February, which means that the new crop could not yield fruit this year. Grower Chris White will be able to harvest berries from the farm in the 2026 growing year.

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

White’s last new plant went into the ground in February. He says he’s not sure that any of that quick rebuild would have been possible without emergency assistance from USDA.

“The FSA Tree Assistance Program (TAP) was a very big blessing to put them back,” he says. “They paid an amount for the soil preparation and then so much per plant for the replant.

“It definitely wasn’t something that would bring you debt-free on it, but it was something that wouldn’t put you in a real financial bind,” he adds.

Planning for the Future

The devastation left in Helene’s wake wasn’t just plant loss for many farmers. The rushing water from torrential rain combined with the hurricane-force winds blew critical topsoil, sending it into nearby fields, ditches and roadways.

Part of the recovery for growers like White was moving and replacing dirt.

“We hauled in about 60 dump truck loads of dirt and put the soil back where it had eroded,” he recalls.

He wasn’t the only one. Neal Boatright, a fourth-generation farmer who grows more than 6,000 acres of cotton, peanuts and blueberries at scale, also had to get to work relocating soil on his farm. He noticed a difference in erosion in his no-till acreage and the areas where he harvest-tills crops such as peanuts.

“We brought it back from the lower side of the fields and put back and leveled and tried to fix it,” he says. “We have conventional tillage areas that wash worse.”

Growers such as White, Miller and Boatright have seen the weather changing around them. While they say they’d never seen a hurricane or tropical storm hit their region with such devastation as Helene did, they aren’t sure it is going to be the last one.

Their rebuilding plans are a combination of put-back and pre-planning for mitigation of future potential weather catastrophes.

In his rebuild, White worked to secure grants that would allow him to experiment with cover crops in between his blueberry rows. The farm that was lost totally last year now has a diverse cover crop mixture locking his soil in place.

Appling Blueberry Farms uses a diverse mixture of cover crops in between blueberry rows to protect soil from erosion. After the first year, grower Chris White says he sees a reduction in nematode and weed pressure due to the cover crop.

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

At one point in the growing season, his cover crop mixture stood 6 feet tall, towering above his blueberry bushes. In addition to protecting the soil, White says the cover crop is yielding other benefits as well.

“It dries the middle out a lot quicker because you have so much sucking the rain and that helps a bunch,” he says. “Because we planted several different plants, our nematode pressure has been way down and the weed pressure too.

“We’ll keep a cover crop here twice a year now, one in the summer and one in the winter,” he adds.

Boatright has been cover cropping his land and sees the benefits in preventing erosion as well as building organic matter in the soil.

“It not only saves erosion by that cover crop growing, it helps retain some nutrients for the next year, builds up organic matter and helps with suppressing weed pressure,” he says. “All that added together makes a good cover crop worthwhile.”

Lasting Impact

While growers and landowners have spent this past year cleaning up and putting their land and assets back together, many worry that the devastation of Hurricane Helen may have generational impact.

Kevin Eason didn’t have to destroy many of his blueberry plants, but even though they survived, the yields this year seem to be suffering.

“What we’ve come to realize is some fields that we didn’t think were damaged, production was down significantly,” he says. “What’s going to happen a year from now, two years from now, three years from now?

“What are going to be the lingering effects of what happened with the Hurricane?”

As he drives down the road on his land and in his community, Boatright can still see areas that harken back to the immediate aftermath of the storm a year ago.

“There was probably more wind damage from that one storm than all the wind damage I’ve ever seen in my whole life added together in this area,” he says. “This was devastating to the timber industry and will have years of effects.”

Miller is keenly aware of the generational impact that his timber losses will have for his family.

“It’s just a sickening feeling because you have totally lost your hearts, not just in the pocketbook,” he says. “I have a kid, and he has two kids that are coming up, and we want to turn it over to them in good shape.

“It’s not a one-year quick fix.

“This is going to take years,” he says. “Probably five years from now, we’ll still be able to ride through and see where this Hurricane hit us.”

4 Strategies One Oklahoma Family Farm Uses to Thrive

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 20:36:54 GMT

With the average age of U.S. farmers clocking in at over 58 years old, successful multigenerational farms led by fresh, young talent turn heads. While there’s not one silver bullet approach to encouraging new leaders and passing a farm business to the next generation, Crows Vegetable Farm has recently shared four strategies that work on their small, diversified specialty crop operation in Shawnee, Okla.

This spring, America’s Conservation Ag Movement visited to learn more about how Crows Vegetable Farm sustains both ecological and economic resilience and is now passing the torch to the next generation.

Small but Mighty Family Farms

“Farms like Crows Family Farms are very small but are very important to American agriculture,” said Jimmy Emmons, senior vice president of conservation programs at Farm Journal and Oklahoma rancher. “I hear this all the time, that ‘my children can’t come back to the farm because there’s not enough profitability,’ and yet you see that here [at Crows Vegetable Farm]. The children have been able to come back and be very successful here on just a few acres.”

Claudia and Ricky Crow purchased 40 acres of land from Ricky’s grandparents in 1897, which they grew into Crows Vegetable Farm. Today, Claudia and Ricky work with their son Brandon and are mapping out a transition for him to run the farm operation when they retire.

“It has been a journey filled with a lot of happy moments and a lot of hard work,” Claudia Crow told America’s Conservation Ag Movement.

4 Keys to Running a Thriving Small Farm

What is this 40 acre family farm doing that has helped their business succeed and grow? For the Crow Family, the secret to running a successful, small scale farm boils down to four key ingredients: diversification, labor, partnerships and succession planning.

Build in Diversity
While Crows Vegetable Farm is about 40 acres, it boasts a wide variety of crops as well as a wide variety of distribution channels. Investing in crop and revenue stream diversity are intentional, according to the Crow family. What’s more, diversity has been the cornerstone and driver of economic resilience over the past several decades.

“The key for us to be able to stay in business is diversification,” Crow said . “You cannot put all your eggs in one basket.”

Operationally, in addition to direct sales and farmers markets, a commercial kitchen and two Shawnee-area storefronts have been essential to marketing Crows Vegetable Farm vegetables and driving revenue.

“Approximately 85% of what we raise we sell retail or direct to our customers,” Crow said.

Running a commercial kitchen that produces value-added goods not only stocks shelves in their two busy storefronts, but the kitchen also has an added benefit of creatively using everything the farm grows. Any surplus or blemished produce from the farm can be used in baked goods and premade meals that are popular with busy, Shawnee-area customers looking for wholesome, grab-and-go food products.

In addition to direct sales and farmers markets, a commercial kitchen and two Shawnee-area storefronts have been essential to marketing Crows Vegetable Farm vegetables and driving revenue.

(Jon Reynolds)

The benefits of building in diversity are not limited to the revenue streams — cultivating a wide variety of crops supports both economic and environmental sustainability.

Growing a variety of specialty crops has helped Crows Vegetable Farm’s bottom line economically, offering unique seasonal offerings while also providing fresh produce mainstays. Additionally, this approach to growing food fosters genetic diversity as well as resilience against pest, diseases and extreme weather.

Leverage Strategic Partnerships for Growth
Razor thin margins, long-term planning and labor intensive production are challenges that require the business savvy of skilled entrepreneurs to grow food profitably. In order to grow, expand and improve — both economically and ecologically — Crows Vegetable Farm has leveraged strategic partnerships to gain access to critical financial and technical support from government programs and services.

In recent years, the farm has installed high tunnels with technical and financial support from Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) grants.

“NRCS has provided us a tremendous boost here at the farm,” Brandon Crow said. “It has really helped us grow over the years. We’ve been able to put in high tunnels and really expand our growing season.”

Mary Fisher, NRCS Urban Conservationist who has worked with Oklahoma urban farms like Crows Vegetable Farms echoed Brandon, noting that financial investments from NRCS conservation programs can free up capital to invest in other areas of the farm business.

“Our cost-share agreements really help [growers] offset a lot of their production costs,” Fisher said. “Instead of them spending $10,000 on a high tunnel structure, they’re able to take that money and put it elsewhere in their operation.”

Similarly, NRCS’s conservation stewardship contracts available to small farms like Crows Vegetable Farm, allow growers to receive financial support in the form of an annual payment “that allows them to improve in other parts of their operation, which really helps their bottom line and profitability,” Fisher added.

Investing in Your Team is Critical
At the heart of a profitable family farm are human hands. Getting labor right is critical for any grower who is looking to build a sustainable business in the long run.

Crows Family Farm employs H-2A farmworkers, investing in seasonal employees who return to their farm year after year. The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals to work in temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs.

“This year we have 6 guys, they’re all related,” Claudia Crow said. “They make huge sacrifices to work on this farm — they don’t get to bring their children or their wives. We would not exist without them.”

Grow the Next Generation
Through strategic planning and a lot of hard work, commitment and passion, Claudia and Ricky Crow have worked hard to build a flourishing farm business in Shawnee, Okla., and have begun the multiyear process of passing on Crows Vegetable Farm to their son.

“To me, it’s really important that we, the older farmers, encourage and help these kids because we need them,” Crow said. “We don’t need to just grow crops; we need to grow a new generation of farmers.”

Thoughtful succession planning is not lost on Brandon, and he sees his leadership as the extension of his parents’ legacy.

“Taking over here at the farm means a great deal to me,” Brandon said. “To take that torch that was passed to me and honor their legacy. I’m most excited going forward to see where this next generation can take things, how far they can grow it.”

“I’m hoping that my children will see the value in what we do here and will want to grow this,” he added, smiling.

Guest Commentary: Sustainable Food Success Stories From Connecticut

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:37:10 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

This article was written by Shuresh Ghimire, Jiff Martin, Stacey Stearns, and Indu Upadhyaya, University of Connecticut Extension.

A holistic approach to farming is enabling leaders at University of Connecticut (UConn) Extension to help producers integrate sustainability, environmental integrity, economic vitality and social equity into their operations. In this guest post, the UConn team shares Extension’s impact in sustainable foods—including helping fruit and vegetable growers, beginning farmers and Tribal farmers; sharing insights on integrated pest management; and putting local food on students’ plates. UConn Extension is the winner of the monthly Farm Journal Monthly Story Lead Contest, a partnership between eXtension and Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. In September 2020, the contest focused on surfacing stories of Cooperative Extension helping local consumers and farmers to connect and better understand the environmental and health and nutrition-related impact of food produced by U.S. farmers.

A sustainable food system can meet our needs for fresh, healthy, affordable food today without jeopardizing the ability of future generations from doing the same.
This is a global issue that we are addressing locally, statewide, and regionally in New England. In Connecticut, 12% of households experience food insecurity, 33% of children are overweight or obese (more than half of whom are Hispanic and African American), an estimated one out of five residents eat no vegetables daily, 33% of our census tracts live more than a half mile from a food retailer, and only 10% of our cropland is used to harvest fruits and vegetables.

Our goal is to address Connecticut’s food-related challenges to human health and sustainable use of natural resources through research, education, and public engagement. To do this, we focus on diverse and innovative animal and crop production systems, increasing access to nutritional and healthy food, and securing a sustainable, safe, and resilient food supply.

UConn Extension outreach and training programs in agriculture and food included a multi-faceted approach to addressing the issue that includes growers, consumers, and youth. Our programs reached residents in all 169 cities and towns in Connecticut. Key program areas include agricultural production (fruits, vegetables, specialty crops), farm marketing, food safety, new and beginning farmers, risk management, and urban agriculture. We also offered two workshops dealing with farmer stress, signs, communication, and resources that were attended by over 150 farmers and agriculture service providers.

Program impacts were leveraged by several USDA grants that increased our capacity to serve Connecticut and beyond in the areas of agricultural risk management, integrated pest management, food safety, and new and beginning farmers. For example, the Solid Ground Training Program is offered for new farmers and funded by USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Award #2016-70017-25416. We leveraged this grant funded project by collaborating with Extension educators and resources available across all programs. We also work with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation through a USDA-FRTEP grant.

“There has been a substantial gain in the knowledge and skills regarding growing food, writing a business plan, nutrition, and health since we started working with the UConn Extension educators,” says Jeremy Whipple, a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

Our vegetable integrated pest management education was delivered to over 550 vegetable growers and stakeholders every week from May to September 2019 and 2020 through 19 weekly vegetable pest alerts each year focusing on pests, pest management and decision making, and safe pesticide use. Farm visits, workshops, and consultations were also provided to growers.

In spring of 2020, our Vegetable Program launched an online Vegetable Production Certificate course for the first time with an objective to effectively deliver information to beginner vegetable producers, especially when in-person interactions are limited. The course had seven online modules, each module with a self-paced video, supplemental materials, and a short quiz. In the post-course evaluation survey (total number of course participants = 23), respondent indicated on average 34% increase in their knowledge from the course.

We had 474 Fruit growers and industry members receive 116 fruit messages in 2019 covering pest information, management strategies, cultural practices, meetings and educational programs. Louis Bacchiocci, one of our farmers, stated, “These emails are very helpful. Even when you know the information it serves as a great reminder of when we ought to be applying production strategies.”

The achievement of the UConn Integrated Pest Management Program was assessed by a collective impact assessment perspective. In 2019, 45.8% of respondents (N = 1,221; n = 233; 19% response rate) indicated their pesticide use decreased after working with the UConn IPM program while only 2.7% indicated it increased. Eighty percent responded they feel more knowledgeable of IPM options because of the UConn IPM program and 64.1% indicated they conduct IPM differently because of the UConn IPM program.

Put Local On Your Tray promotes local food in school cafeterias and helps to connect farmer and school food buyers. Over the past year, we had 92 towns and districts take a pledge to serve locally grown products in their school cafeterias, choosing from among 15 products supplied by more than 45 farms in the project’s Farmer Directory.

Salli Szczesiul, the kitchen manager at the Goshen school stated: “We purchased the purple daikon radish, red beets and red apples from the farmer food hub. I roasted the beets, diced them along with the radish and beets to make a cold salad. We pre-portioned it into our 4 oz. serving cups to put on our daily rainbow tray, but also had a container of it that we could put a sample size on a student’s tray to just give it a try. Younger students were a little more apprehensive about trying, but there are always a handful who will exclaim, ‘I love beets!’ The older kids loved the heart we made from the radish, and it continues to be a hit on our rainbow tray. We either cut it into matchsticks or dice it for serving.”

Peter Hayward of Hayward Farms in New Hartford also values the partnerships with schools: “I have been selling to Avon schools for over ten years now and to Region 10 (Harwinton-Burlington) for over twenty years. We also have been selling fruit to the Thomaston and Canton school systems for several years. We would never be able to market our entire crop without these very important outlets.”

COVID-19 has caused school food to shift dramatically from cafeteria service to boxes, bags, and in-classroom meals at socially distanced desks. In response, the Put Local On Your Program has developed new digital tools and fun activity books for students that can be distributed with meals for remote learning. In celebration of CT Grown for CT Kids Week, staff worked in close collaboration with Dept. of Education and Dept. of Agriculture to produce a new video in time called the ‘Hard Core Apple Crunch Challenge.’

Food safety is a core component of the food systems programs. Our educators collaborate on programs and offer food safety workshops and certifications statewide to producers and processors. The food safety program collaborates with other states and organizations throughout the state including the Department of Agriculture.
Our educators’ partner with the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory at UConn to diagnose and serve our members. We also work with our 4-H youth development program and the Master Gardener program to reach other audiences.

The impact of our combined efforts increased agriculture production and viability in Connecticut, as well as local food consumption among our residents. We are addressing Connecticut’s food-related challenges to human health and sustainable use of natural resources with a collaborative effort that uses science-based research, education, and public engagement. We continue to broaden the scope of our audiences, and impact.

Q&A: Regenerative Ag Trends With Dirt To Dinner’s Lucy Stitzer

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:21:03 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

Regenerative agriculture is quickly moving from small and fringe to mainstream, says Lucy Stitzer, founder of the food and agriculture news website Dirt to Dinner.

“It’s pretty exciting. Walmart, for instance—they’ve committed to having zero emissions by 2040,” Stitzer tells Nate Birt, vice president of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative supporting farmers on their journey of conservation agriculture adoption. “That’s a pretty audacious goal. As a result of that, they’re restoring 50 million acres of land.”

Other examples of the regenerative agriculture trend include Danone, which is helping dairy farmers in its supply chain make the shift and lock in margins. That’s encouraging, Stitzer shares, because the economic impact of practice adoption on farmers and ranchers is often overlooked.

Meanwhile, Land O’Lakes has partnered with Microsoft to improve farmers’ access to broadband in rural communities, ensuring they can better utilize precision agriculture tools and capture data from the field.

The participation of both public agencies and the private sector in supporting farmers’ stewardship efforts suggests food can be a unifying factor in an often polarized operating environment. Agriculture – especially big ag - is being thrown under the bus as degrading the environment when the reality is that farmers are generally more environmentally conscious than most of us.

“Companies, the government and the entire ecosystem recognize there’s not just one answer to growing our food,” Stitzer says. “At Dirt to Dinner, we know that people and consumers and us as well are tired of polarization. Our country is so divided, there’s a tendency for everyone to take sides. … Bringing food to your dinner table doesn’t have to have the same divide. I am idealistic enough to think that … we can use food to bring people together.”

To learn more about Dirt To Dinner and to subscribe to its emails, visit www.DirtToDinner.com.

Field Work: Small Farmers, Big Stakes

Fri, 07 May 2021 19:56:57 GMT

By Laurie Stern

John and Kara Boyd farm 1400 acres on five parcels in Southern Virginia. Their farm is diverse and regenerative: They raise corn, wheat, soybeans, swine, timber and vegetables including radish, peas, asparagus and sweet corn. Kara Boyd is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina . She grew up playing in the fields as her grandparents harvested produce.

“Being an Indigenous person here in North America, we’ve always been growing and producing our food,” she said.

John Boyd Jr. is a fourth-generation farmer. His father’s parents were straitlaced tobacco farmers along the James River and his mother’s parents were sharecroppers who sold bootleg whiskey to make ends meet. Boyd said he learned to farm from their different styles, and he also learned how to read people.

“I have a good take, based on my upbringing, of who’s telling the truth and who’s shucking and jiving,” Boyd said.

It’s a skill that has served him well. When he turned 18 in 1983, he bought his own farm from another Black farmer. He said he thought the civil rights movement had made things more equal, but he learned quickly that he was wrong. The local Farmers Home Administration agent would see Black farmers only at 9 a.m. one day a week. Everyone called them “Black Wednesdays.”

The farmers Boyd had looked up to were forced to wait their turn all day in crowded hallways where they compared notes about their treatment: being called “boy,” getting turned down for programs. At first, Boyd thought they were exaggerating. Then he showed up for his own first meeting. Boyd realized the civil rights movement had skipped Black farmers. The agent tore up his application, spat tobacco juice on his shirt.

“Just all sorts of stuff you wouldn’t think would come from someone who worked for the government,” Boyd said.

(Farm Journal)

That experience and others that followed turned Boyd from farmer to farm advocate. He began collecting stories and statistics. He lodged discrimination complaints with local and national civil rights groups, founded the National Black Farmers Association , led marches, and in 1997 was a lead plaintiff in Pigford v. Glickman . That turned out to be the largest class action settlement the U.S. government has ever had to make.

John Boyd Jr. was at the front of the line. “I was able to get my land out of federal inventory, a little piece of happy change and some sort of apology,” he said.

A 1997 governmental investigation called USDA “a stubborn bureaucracy” that had used discriminatory loan practices to “force minority and socially disadvantaged farmers off their land.”^.

Protests and litigation continued because Black farmers had not been notified they were eligible for compensation. Pigford II was finally settled in 2010.

John Boyd Jr. is still president of the NBFA today. The NBFA and its allies in Congress are largely responsible for the $5 billion debt relief for farmers of color in the 2021 American Recovery Plan. In a recent editorial , Boyd said that much more needs to happen.

“The racism that was baked into subsidy programs for decades is now a feature, not a bug,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, he and Kara have a farm to run. Covid hurt. They couldn’t sell their livestock as they’d planned. The long harsh winter meant they were late harvesting and late planting.

“We lost soybeans because we weren’t able to get them harvested,” Kara Boyd said. But she noted that as a great source of nitrogen “they’ll just go back into the soil and feed Mother Earth.”

The Boyds would like to do regenerative agriculture demonstrations at their farm, and spread the word about how no-till and cover crop practices are paying off. They’d like to put in perimeter fencing to integrate livestock with row crops. They’d like to see more farmers of color own their land, and they’re working hard to make all that happen.

Georgia expands organic, local, greenhouse options

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:36:58 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Eva Moghaddam wants to make it easier for every family to find healthier food.

It’s a value that many producers and distributors in this industry share, a value that can coincide with a healthier earth as well, she said.

Several Atlanta area marketers and growers are showing that the two are not mutually exclusive — not even during the COVID-19 pandemic when human health is first and foremost on most minds.

“I learned life is magnificent, and it is a precious gift for everyone and every living thing,” said Moghaddam, owner, president and CEO of All Seasons Produce, which handles wholesale marketing and distribution at the Atlanta State Farmers Market, Forest Park, Ga., and Evans Growers, which handles production about 200 miles southeast in Claxton, Ga.

“Every plant, every seed and every little green life is hope, and it is beautiful.”

In July of 2019, Moghaddam found a property with 56 greenhouses on 13 acres in Claxton, close to her Vidalia onion farm.

The location seemed perfect for growing organic herbs, of which there is a gap in the Atlanta market, said husband Matthew Moghaddam, general manager and chief financial officer.

After purchasing the property in November, it took the Moghaddams four months to get certified as U.S. Department of Agriculture organic for herbs and peppers.

They are now growing basil, thyme, mint, mini sweet peppers, red peppers and Anaheim peppers, among other varieties.

“We knew organic growing needs constant sustainability and a controlled environment to succeed, and the greenhouse will be best for organic growth without using any pesticides or chemicals,” Eva Moghaddam said.

She had planned for a long time to do organic efficiently through controlled environment agriculture with drip irrigation and temperature controls.

“It’s very difficult to do in the field, with irrigation and bugs and diseases,” Matthew Moghaddam said.

They saw a demand for more organics before the pandemic because there aren’t many companies growing organic herbs in Georgia; most are importing herbs, he said.

All Seasons and Evans Growers has 319 acres of conventionally grown produce too, including cabbage, Vidalia onions, zucchini, squash, broccoli and sweet potatoes, also in Claxton, with a packing house on it.

In December 2019, Pure Flavor , Leamington, Ontario, kicked off its second winter season using hydroponic methods and transitioned 25 acres as part of Phase 1 to grow exclusively tomatoes in its Fort Valley, Ga., greenhouse, 100 miles south of Atlanta.

The company partners with the Georgia Grown program.

Pure Flavor also has a 60,000-square-foot distribution center in Byron, Ga., about 95 miles south of Atlanta.

Doug Bailey, assistant dean of academic affairs at University of Georgia, led a five-day spring break agricultural tour for students from the College of Agricultural and Environmenal Sciences that included the Pure Flavor greenhouse.

The company’s hydroponic growing methods create greater yield than traditional methods and without soil, he wrote in a trip blog.

“These methods allow the company to be sustainable by using less water with less nutrient runoff from plants. To produce their organic products, Pure Flavor uses beneficial insects such as lady bugs and bees to control pests and pollinate plants,” Bailey wrote.

“Pure Flavor brings an important and diverse addition to the face of Georgia agriculture.”

At the Atlanta State Farmers Market, Collins Bros. Produce Co., Forest Park, Ga., has more than 400 organic items and about 100 Georgia Grown products for sale.

“Before this COVID-19 came along, there was a big push of locally grown, sustainable agriculture, and there was a lot of talk on what they need to do to engage with the distribution community,” said David Collins III, one of the company’s owning brothers.

Most sustainable initiatives have taken a “back seat to this COVID thing,” he said, “but I think it’s still something people are embracing.”

The less fuel you have to use going from A to B, the more efficient you become, he said.

“When you can grow good product here in Georgia, would you bring it from 2,000 miles away when you have right here? I think not,” Collins said.

“I think you’re seeing a push toward that and it’s a good thing. And hopefully you’ll see that continue.”

Related content:
Atlanta’s farmers market is pulling out all the stops
Americas Conservation Ag Movement
Atlanta Know Your Market

Sustainability, conservation play role in grape vineyards

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:41:42 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Whether it’s out of concern for the land, the people or the environment, many California table grape growers have adopted sustainable growing and business strategies to guide their vineyards into a productive, profitable and ecologically sound future.

Pandol Bros.

When it comes to getting the bugs out of its operation, Delano, Calif.-based Pandol Bros Inc. is full of innovative ideas.

While its neighbors typically pull out acreage after a crop cycle is finished and immediately go back in for the next planting, Pandol Bros. sets aside some acreage, planting annual crops to provide habitat for upland game birds.

“We tend to leave land fallow for two to three years,” said John Pandol, special projects director.

“On our fallow land, we strategically plant annual and native crops for migratory water fowl and local birds,” he said.

The practice allows the land to rest, provides a habitat for birds and at the same time helps control the vineyards’ bug population.

“Birds eat insects,” Pandol said.

The process doesn’t stop there.

The annual plants suck up carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere, and at the end of the season, the plants are worked into the ground.

“When we plant that land, we have better soil,” Pandol said.

The program doesn’t add a lot of additional cost, he said.

Most of any negative cash flow would be in the lost opportunity of not actively farming.

But on the plus side, over the years, the plan results in better quality soil.

Pandol Bros. also uses beneficial insects to combat bad bugs that can attack its vineyards.

“In the late 1970s or early 1980s, we planted some rows of blackberries for habitat for beneficial insects,” Pandol said.

They’re still there.

“We haven’t populated it for years, either with a predator for a specific pest or a broad spectrum predator like lady bugs,” he said. “The beneficial insect habitat has been there for 40 years.”

Some efforts to control insects can have drawbacks, he said.

“Spiders are actually a really great biological control,” he said.

The problem is, they can be a safety hazard for workers, and sometimes they end up leaving the field in the bags with the grapes.

Sunview Marketing

Delano, Calif.-based Sunview Marketing International would prefer to use the term “stewardship” than descriptors like sustainable or environmentally friendly, said Mitch Wetzel, vice president of sales and marketing.

Stewardship involves the land itself, the company’s associates, many of whom have been with the firm for many years, and the water, he said.

The environment and energy are “tangential pieces” that also are of concern.

Now more than ever, it’s important to make sure that the company’s longtime associates who have invested a lot of time and dedication feel safe, that Sunview is producing a safe product, and that “everybody continues to be positive no matter how tough the circumstances can be,” he said.

When it comes to stewardship, the company’s ownership and management teams focus on what is going to make the most long-term sense, Wetzel said, whether it’s water conservation measures, efficient land use or ways to train and invest in people so that they will have long professional careers within the company.

A stewardship program must be made up of several different pieces to be effective, he said.

“If it’s one dimensional, it’s not going to work.”

The company, for example, has its office and cold storage area covered with a solar array, it has an extensive integrated pest management program and is one of the largest organic grape producers, Wetzel said.

“It’s all pieces,” he said. “It’s not one big thing that makes you a good steward. It’s got to be a lot of things.”

Top Brass Marketing

Top Brass Marketing Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., is into energy conservation, said Brett Dixon, president.

“We currently have 5 acres of solar panels that run 1 megawatt of electricity that offsets approximately 80% of our energy use at our cold storage facility,” Dixon said, “further committing to a sustainable future here at Top Brass.”

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Sustainable Produce Summits give insight

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:41 GMT

Providing an in-depth look at the produce industry’s path forward in an era of unprecedented social and environmental awareness, The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summit is scheduled for May 28 at the JW Marriott Palm Desert, Palm Desert, Calif.

“We are excited to focus the produce industry, in this deep dive kind of format, on sustainability, in an ongoing and consistent conversation,” said Jessie Gunn, vice president of marketing and events for produce at The Packer and Farm Journal.

“Sustainable Produce Summits (SPS) will empower, enable and equip the fresh produce industry to grow fresh produce that cares for life and planet. That’s our mission statement for the summits, and I think it will be as it should be, our North star.”

The event, which occurs just before The Packer’s May 29-30 West Coast Produce Expo, also in Palm Desert, will include:

A full day of education with multi-track sessions;
A focus on three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Reduced Inequalities; and
An ecological Jeep tour of the San Andres Fault line and dinner and a presentation under the stars at Metate Ranch.

Consumer insight

Consumer research by The Packer will answer several questions related to sustainability, according to event organizers:

What elements of sustainability drive consumer choices;

Monitoring the importance of sustainable certification in the consumer purchasing process;
Geographic and demographic comparisons of sustainability preferences;
What impact sustainability measures will have on price point sensitivity and/or loyalty; and
Investigating the impact of meal kits and consumer’s perceptions of sustainability.

After the May summit, the next SPS event is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2021, just prior to the start of the Global Organic Produce Expo in Miami, Fla.
Gunn said the Sustainable Produce Summits will help guide the industry’s path forward on related issues.

“By using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our map to lead the conversation, we’ve aligned ourselves with a global effort that American retailers and producers alike are embracing,” Gunn said.

“We want to build a table around which the retailer, grower, input, seed producers and packaging and allied companies can discuss, learn and solution-seek in collaboration to move this entire industry forward,” she said.

“We want the information (to be) scalable and to meet companies where they are to push the work they’re doing, from first steps to their fifth-year work, forward. Sustainability is about measurement and constant improvement and we are all in it together.”

For more information about The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summits, contact Jessie Gunn at jgunn@farmjournal.com.

View more related content here. The Sustainable Produce Summit is scheduled for May 28 at the JW Marriott Palm Desert, Palm Desert, Calif.

To find the latest on sustainable food systems and conservation ag, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Stewardship Index calculator released

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:38:52 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Following up on the April 2019 news of their partnership to develop an online sustainability management tool, the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops and SupplyShift announced the soft launch of the new SISC Stewardship Calculator.

The SISC calculator is available for use in a digital platform and will continue to be enhanced through the coming months, according to a news release.

The SISC Stewardship Calculator allows produce operators to measure on-farm sustainability metrics for fruits, nuts and vegetables more efficiently, according to the release.

No cost registration allows growers to create a baseline of their stewardship and track continual improvement as they enact management changes. Aggregators, retailers, brands and industry groups can also register to baseline and help improve the on-farm sustainability practices of their suppliers.

“SISC’s objectives are to advance optimal production and strong environmental protection by offering a suite of science-based, data driven sustainability metrics,” SISC director Alison Edwards said in the release.

Three major food industry organizations, Campbell’s Soup Co., JM Smucker and Western Growers , are set to deploy the soft launch version of the calculator to their growers this year, according to the release.

“The SISC calculator on SupplyShift gives growers and industry groups the opportunity to better understand their footprint, benchmark with their peers, and share data in a secure way with their customers.” Hank Giclas, consultant with Western Growers, said in the release.

“This tool will help us work directly with our members to support continual improvement on the ground, and allow us to show industry improvement, backed up with real data.”

The tool is another valuable step in the partnership between the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops and SupplyShift, Jamie Barsimantov, COO of SupplyShift, said in the release.

SupplyShift and SISC are now accepting registrants for the SISC Stewardship Calculator here.

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Genera aims to use local crops in sustainable packaging

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:37:09 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Working with farmers in Tennessee, Genera is contracting switchgrass and biomass sorghum as inputs to create compostable, sustainable packaging when its manufacturing facility comes online later this year.

The company’s main product, Earthable, will be made with compostable fiber produced by local farmers, according to the company.

The fibers will be used for a variety of manufactured products, including towels, tissues, packaging boards, and molded fiber food containers.

Company background

Sam Jackson, vice president for business development for Genera, said the company has been in the agricultural biomass space for a number of years.

“We were originally formed in 2008, and spent several years really focused on supplying biomass to biofuels and biochemical producers, back when cellulosic ethanol was a big push,” he said.

By 2015, the company determined it would look at ways it could move being just a supplier and aggregator of biomass to adding value through downstream manufacturing.

“We started evaluating a number of different technologies and products that we could look at, and within about a year or so we focused in on agricultural fiber, so making a pulp out of agricultural materials that can be used downstream for paper towel, tissue products,” he said.

The company also has now committed to molded fiber production.

More news and information about Americas Conservation Ag Movement.

The company spent a lot of time working with technology developers to build a market case for molded fiber production.

“Essentially what we have done is we put together a facility here in Vonore, Tenn., and we received our full financing on that facility in July of 2019,” he said.

Genera raised more than $118 million in new investment to develop its first manufacturing facility for production of Earthable, and the company is actively looking to recruit farmers to grow switchgrass or biomass sorghum for production.

“We are retrofitting an existing industrial facility here so we have a very tight timeline, and we expect to come online with commercial production before the end of 2020,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the facility will take about 150 tons of agricultural biomass per day and create a downstream fiber product line from about 100 tons of pulp-based short fiber. Of that output, Jackson said Genera will sell about half of the pulp to the towel and tissue marketplace.

The other half of the pulp will be kept in-house to make thermoformed molded fiber products, including plates, bowls, takeout containers and consumer packaging.

“As we got into this fiber world, (we found) there’s a huge consumer push for sustainable products, clearly, and that’s been well documented in the media with a push against polystyrene plastic,” Jackson said.

“Fiber-based products have really taken a big leap in terms of demand in the marketplace, and so as we’ve developed our product lines here, both on the fiber side as well as the finished product side.”

With the facility under construction, commercial production will be underway by the end of the year.

Stay up to date on all things sustainability.

Genera will contract with growers near the facility to grow switchgrass and biomass sorghum. In addition, some wheat straw will be used.

“The idea is we’re creating some new markets for farmers here in the region, they’ll produce the feedstocks, and we will bring them into the facility and convert those into usable products,” he said.

The produce market is a prime target for the compostable packaging, but the company’s initial focus will be foodservice takeout containers. Many fiber-based containers used in foodservice now are imported from Asia.

“We’re providing a domestic solution here that ties a local farm to this finished product,” he said.

The fiber packages are certified to compost in a commercial facility within 90 days.

Jackson said that Genera has pre-sold quite a bit of its future output.

With rising consumer resistance to plastic, the challenges in the recycling market in the U.S. and around the globe, Jackson said Genera is well positioned to meet domestic demand.
“It just makes total sense to have a domestic solution, that you work with a local farmer to produce the feedstock to transport that a reasonable distance, with the finished products made in the U.S. to consumers,” Jackson said.

Genera contracts with growers to produce the biomass, said Brad Valentine, feedstock manager at Genera. The company needs about 150 tons of biomass per day, or about 55,000 tons a year. That equates to about 8,000 to 10,000 acres.

“What we’re looking to do is we’re basically contracting to purchase the baled product from the growers,” Valentine said.

Keep up with fresh produce packaging news here.

Genera is offering 5-year contract to growers.

“That provides that landowner a guarantee that we will purchase everything that they grow at a set price. So there’s a very good consistency and a long-term commitment there, from our standpoint, and it provides the landowner with some income certainty over time,” he said.

While there are handful of competitors, Jackson said there is room for suppliers to meet fast-rising demand, and many of them also benefit agricultural marketplaces.

“Some competitors are using wheat straw, some are using sugar cane, and some are using wood,” he said. “They’re all good fibers, and we firmly believe that the market is growing at such a significant extent that the more of us that are successful in this space, the better off it will be for all of us.”

“We could sell a significant volume more than we’ll be able to produce at this facility, you know, so hopefully in the future we’ll be building other facilities and other locations,” he said.

“There are other players in the marketplace, and we hope they’re as successful as we are, because it’s going to take us all to meet this consumer demand that’s out there today.”

The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summit will empower, enable and equip the fresh produce industry to grow fresh produce that cares for the life and planet. Click here to register for our free virtual event, September 2020.

New York solar programs can save growers, packers money

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:55:50 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic hit, John Williams of Williams Farms, Marion, N.Y., looked into converting to solar power.

“It could be a huge savings in electric costs, and we wouldn’t have to install anything,” Williams said he learned from a solar energy representative.

Williams was a little skeptical that it could be that free and easy to make this change toward more sustainable operations.

“We’d be part of a solar farm. He said it wouldn’t have to cost us anything,” Williams said.

Williams is talking about community solar, those fields of solar panels spanning 20-30 acres, which residents and businesses of all kinds can sign up to use, said Max Joel, program manager of NY-Sun, the solar initiative of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

For residents and smaller businesses, it’s usually a monthly subscription. For larger businesses such as many commercial farms, the solar company will want the business to sign a longer-term contract.

“In the last year, there’s been more new community solar built than ever, by a long shot,” Joel said. “Most people in the state can take advantage of community solar now.”

The state established a community solar policy in 2015, he said.

The initiative is a major component of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s clean energy and climate agenda.

One of the goals is to be using 6 gigawatts of distributed solar energy by 2025, according to a news release. By December 2019, New York had reached 2 gigawatts of solar power, one-third of the 2025 goal.

The governor has also called for 70% of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, according to the release.

“Solar is a vital part of New York’s Green New Deal strategy to transition to a clean energy future and reduce emissions to combat one of the most pressing issues of our time — climate change,” Cuomo said in the release.

“The success of this initiative demonstrates we are on a path to meeting our nation-leading energy goals, and our climate agenda is spurring economic growth and leaving this planet cleaner and greener for generations to come.”

Addressing Williams’ skepticism, Joel said that community solar companies do indeed pay for the installation and equipment.

“It’s a pretty good deal that doesn’t require cash up front. The solar companies line up their own financing to build the project,” Joel said. “It’s become a major business.”

The state funding program and federal tax credits help the solar companies, he said.

To learn more, click here.

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Sustainability message as crucial as commitment

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:17:13 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

Sustainability is more than a buzzword in packaging these days; it’s common sense, manufacturers say.

“We want to be good stewards of our natural resources, and sustainable packaging is an important part of this effort,” said Nicole Lipson, segment marketing manager with Atlanta-based manufacturer WestRock.

“By making containers that are recyclable and made from recycled materials, we reduce the amount of waste.”

According to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, 94% of the U.S. population has access to recycling programs, making it easy for retailers and consumers to recycle corrugated containers, Lipson said.

“The circularity of packaging is critical for reducing waste; corrugated boxes that are recycled are used to make new packaging,” she said.

Sustainable options are central to cutting the volume of single-use plastic waste, said Sara Lozano, manager of marketing and product development with Watsonville, Calif.-based Sambrailo Packaging.

“We need to work collectively to not have our trash last longer than we do — invest in infrastructure that can responsibly repurpose and assist in a successful circular economy for single-use materials of any origin,” Lozano said.

By using post-consumer recycled material, a packaging program communicates the organization’s dedication to sustainability and its support of circular economies, said Victoria Lopez, marketing representative with McAllen, Texas-based Fox Packaging.

“PCR (post-consumer resin) plastic is environmentally mindful, because it has already undergone the initial process which virgin plastic requires, capturing petroleum-based fossil fuels before they are emitted into our environment; by using this PCR resin, this packaging design is serving our environment two-fold,” she said.

Using less plastic and/or adding post-consumer recycling can save money and support a “closed-loop” system, said Karen Reed, marketing and communications director with Union Gap, Wash.-based Kwik Lok Corp .

“Kwik Lok has two products that reduce plastic: the Eco-Lok, which uses up to 20% less petroleum-based material, and the Kwik Link, which binds produce, rather than bagging it,” she said.

Dave DeMots, CEO of Canby, Ore.-based Package Containers , said his bag-making company was practicing sustainability “before it was fashionable.”

“Our objective is to have our packaging vanish, which is why we also use inks and glues that leave no trace,” he said.

Virgin fiber content, pre-consumer recycled fiber and post-consumer recycled fiber play important roles in the sustainability story of corrugated packaging, said Michael Hayford, area general manager with Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific Corrugated.

“We use both virgin and recycled fiber in our paper and paperboard products to provide the qualities and performance customers and consumers want,” he said.

Materials can go through the recycling process only so many times, though, Hayford said.

“Every time a box is recycled, its fibers break down a little,” he said.

“Paper fibers can be recycled many times (some estimate five to seven times) before they become too short and weak to make new boxes and are then used in other paper products.”

However, recycling material always is the preferred option, said Rachel Kenyon, senior vice president of the Itaska, Ill.-based Fibre Box Association .

“Every chance we get to reuse material — such as by utilizing recycled fiber to make new boxes — is helpful,” she said.

“Recycling allows packaging producers to use less raw materials while enabling users to contribute positively to the environment by diverting material from the landfill.”

Consumers are coming to realize that plastic is “a real problem,” Kenyon said.

“We know it does not degrade, and plastic recycling is simply not where it should be,” she said.

“Consumers are increasingly aware of the deleterious effects that plastics have on marine life, for example, and are expecting suppliers to shift as much as possible to more environmentally responsible packaging solutions.”

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How Hungry Harvest made changes for sustainability

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:17:18 GMT

Sometimes there is a steep upfront cost to change the way you operate your business in order to benefit the environment.

For instance, earning the USDA Organic label can take years and a lot of money.

But making a change toward better sustainability doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul of your farm or packing house’s systems, equipment and materials. Small steps can gradually lead to big change.

For instance, at Hungry Harvest in Jessup, Md., CEO and cofounder Evan Lutz found that simply paying more attention to inventory can lead to a significant reduction of waste.

Hungry Harvest purchases surplus produce or unusable produce due to appearance, and then sells direct-to-consumer customizable boxes of produce delivered to the door through an online subscription service.

You might think, “Wait, isn’t a food-rescue business supposed to reduce waste in the first place?” Yes.

And that’s a prime example of how no business is above an internal review. Everyone can do better.

It’s even possible to pull off during these tumultuous times of dramatic market changes and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it can save you money too. That’s some good business.

Look for an article featuring Lutz and Hungry Harvest in the June 15 issue of The Packer, plus more articles on how Mid-Atlantic crops and marketing are doing as summer heats up.

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Longer shelf life curbs needless waste, marketers say

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:17:06 GMT

While package makers focus on minimizing waste that ends up in landfills, they’re also mindful to minimize biodegradable waste by developing bags, clamshells and boxes that protect product shelf life, marketers say.

“Packaging that keeps products fresher, longer helps curb biodegradable waste,” said Nicole Lipson, segment marketing manager with Atlanta-based box manufacturer WestRock.

WestRock designs corrugated containers to help keep foods fresh through the supply chain, Lipson said.

“For example, our 8-sided boxes allow for airflow through the pallet, which helps cool certain products and extend shelf life,” she said.

Packaging makes its “best contribution” to diverting waste from landfills “through proper sorting,” said Victoria Lopez, marketing representative with McAllen, Texas-based bag maker Fox Packaging.

“When materials are sorted and recycled as per a municipality’s capability, materials will meet their end-of-life intention, contributing to the PCR (post-consumer resin) value stream,” she said.

Keeping food fresh is an ecological — not just culinary — issue, said Karen Reed, marketing and communications director with Union Gap, Wash.-based Kwik Lok Corp.

“Food waste contributes about 12% of the greenhouse gases impacting our planet,” she said.

“The right packaging solutions can minimize food waste and lessen the impacts to the environment. It’s also important not to use more material in packaging than is necessary to meet freshness and protection objectives.”

One noteworthy development on the packaging front, toward that end, has been the industry embrace of top-seal technology, said Nick Wishnatzki, marketing and projects manager with Plant City, Fla.-based Wish Farms.

“It is an extremely consumer-friendly package and also environmentally conscious, as it uses less plastic than a traditional clamshell,” he said.

Wish Farms plans to try out compostable fiber punnets utilizing that technology, Wishnatzki said.

“With a goal to be more sustainable, these potential candidates open the door to an exciting, green future for our company,” he said.

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific works directly with its clients to minimize waste, said Michael Hayford, area general manager of GP Corrugated .

“Often, we are able to decrease the fiber content of the box while keeping the strength our customers need; in other instances, we help customers reduce waste by eliminating overpackaging,” he said.

“As a corrugated packaging producer, we are proud to be part of an industry with one of the highest recovery rates for recycling — around 90% for the past several years.”

Packaging that is “right-sized for the product” is an ideal way to reduce waste, said Rachel Kenyon, senior vice president of the Itaska, Ill.-based Fibre Box Association.

“It is also important to consider the purpose of the package: to not only sell the product but also to protect it while it moves through the supply chain,” she said.

Preventing product damage also prevents incremental waste, Kenyon said.

“Spoiled products cannot be used and so they become waste,” she said.

Then, the package itself should be recycled to minimize waste, as well, Kenyon said.

“Corrugated and other paper-based packaging is made to be recycled and most contains around 50% recycled fiber already,” she said.

“When boxes are emptied, they are readily recycled and used to make new boxes and support a circular economy.”

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Produce industry adapts, works toward reducing packaging materials

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:17:06 GMT

Using fewer materials in packaging for fresh produce costs less in dollars as well as environmental impact, marketers say.

“There’s a lot of work being done on materials, especially alternatives to plastic,” said Brianna Shales, senior marketing manager with Wenatchee, Wash.-based tree fruit grower-shipper Stemilt Growers LLC.

“Paper, cardboard, biodegradable, etc., are all being studied and even launched in some categories.”

There also is an opportunity to improve existing packaging while using fewer materials, Shales said.

“Changing the packaging footprint even slightly can result in great material and cost savings, which is a great measure of sustainability,” she said.

Sustainability is intuitive to Canby, Ore.-based bag manufacturer Package Containers , said Dave DeMots, CEO.

“Everything we do is done through a sustainability lens,” he said. “We are always looking for ways to minimize our environmental footprint.”

That means improving processes to reduce production waste, he said.

“And what waste we do have goes to a local paper manufacturer, who uses it as post-industrial waste pulp for their paper,” he said.

Package Containers also works to cut its water usage, DeMots said.

“We also recycle the water used in our manufacturing process, and of course we are working to improve our supply chain to minimize transportation costs and impacts,” he said.

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific works with customers to audit their packaging and looks for “maximum performance with minimal environmental impact,” said Michael Hayford, area general manager of GP Corrugated.

“One way we achieve that is by introducing more recycled material into the packaging,” he said.

“Using a combination of virgin and recycled fiber in paper and paperboard products provides the qualities and performance customers and consumers want.”

Another approach that GP takes to improve environmental performance is called engineered packaging (EP), Hayford said.

“EP is a family of structural design techniques in corrugated packaging that make boxes stronger and/or perform better for a specific purpose,” he said.

In many cases, GP’s EP effort also improves the environmental performance of the packaging by reducing the amount of fiber used to manufacture it, Hayford noted.

“For example, GP introduced a peach box in 2018 that is made with 15% less fiber than a standard peach box while keeping the same total strength,” he said.

“The EP team also improved its function, adding a locking tab that prevents opening during transport and adds stability to stacked boxes.”

Hayford noted that corrugated has the best recycling rate of any packaging material currently used — about 90%.

Atlanta-based manufacturer WestRock focuses on “optimizing package size” to ensure it has the “right-sized package” for individual products, said Nicole Lipson, segment marketing manager.

“In addition, our testing group can determine whether a customer has the right weight paper combination for its containers, ensuring the box is sturdy enough to make it through the supply chain without damaging the product.”

McAllen, Texas-based Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions work with customers along similar lines, said Victoria Lopez, marketing representative.

“Organizations can contribute to sustainability through various avenues through their packaging programs — shifting to more recyclable-ready material, down-gauging materials, designing specific to commodity size, transitioning to a pouch bag

program, which is lightweight reducing carbon emission during transit; or even by leveraging their packaging label to communicate proper recycling practices,” Lopez said.

As a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Fox has aligned itself and its packaging recommendations to recycle-friendly materials, Lopez noted.

“Ultimately, our goal is to protect fresh produce while maintaining its shelf-life with recycle-friendly packaging, which can ultimately be given a second chance at life through post-consumer recycled materials,” she said.

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Sustainability’s a drop in a bucket for Bobalu Berries

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:48:42 GMT

What started out as a way to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and ensure a quality berry pack has resulted in a sustainable, environmentally friendly and even profitable program for Oxnard, Calif.-based Bobalu Berries.

About three years ago, Bobby and RC Jones, owners of the family strawberry business, were looking for a way to keep their plants clean by eliminating the fruit that did not meet quality standards rather than leaving it on the plant or tossing it into the furrows, said Cindy Jewell, who handles marketing for the company.

Overripe or damaged berries attract pests and can cause diseases that affect plant health and may result in needed chemicals to combat those issues if not managed, she said.

The solution turned out to be a simple one — a bucket attached to pickers’ carts.

Rather than tossing the substandard berries to the ground or leaving them on the plant to rot, pickers simply drop them into a bucket.

Eventually, the fruit is sent to the company’s own processing operation.

“Any berry that doesn’t meet the quality standard to go in that fresh pack goes into the bucket,” Jewell said.

Berries are processed at Bobalu’s processing facility and used for juice products, frozen berries or as ingredients for food manufacturers.

“They’re able to utilize every berry that comes out of the field,” she said.

The program also benefits employees by providing a financial incentive, a cleaner working environment and a learning opportunity.

Employees are paid extra for the fruit they put into the bucket, and they don’t have to tromp through rotting berries left on the ground when they return for the next picking a few days later, Jewell said.

The significance of what they’re doing is communicated to employees.

“It is explained to them that by doing this, in addition to harvesting fresh berries destined for market, they’re actually helping the environment and helping the plants they’re harvesting every day stay healthy throughout the season,” she said.

The program is cost effective for Bobalu Berries.

“They actually benefit from it,” Jewell said.

“It gives them ability to direct any out-of-grade berries into an alternative pack.”

The practice ensures a quality retail pack and provides an outlet for product that otherwise would be thrown away.

It also reduces the cost and any negative impact of chemicals, Jewell said.

“They realized when they started doing it that there were many benefits to the system beyond the quality standard,” she said.

The company plans to spread the word about the program to consumers.

Jewell was in the Santa Maria growing area recently supervising photography and a video shoot that will be posted on the company’s soon-to-be relaunched website and on social media.

“It’s fun to be able to tell this part of the story,” she said. “It’s great information and a smart way to do business.”

The culling program isn’t the only sustainable program Bobalu Berries has implemented.

The company uses large, tractor-mounted bug vacuums to literally suck pests off strawberry plants rather than spraying the plants with chemicals.

And new this year is the introduction of drones to spread persimilis — predatory mites — over a field to eat destructive pests.

In the past, workers would sprinkle the bugs through the field by hand — a process that is “super labor intensive,” Jewell said.

“The drone is smooth, fast and achieves good distribution throughout the whole field at a much faster rate,” she said.

A drone can do in 15 minutes what might take a worker a couple of hours.

Technological innovation is nothing new for Bobalu Berries.

“Bobalu is always looking at ways they can improve in the field,” Jewell said. “They welcome technology, trying new things and being innovative with cultural practices.”

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The Packer And Trust In Food Launch 'Sustainable Produce' Summit

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:36:22 GMT

Sustainable business practices within the fresh produce industry will be the focus of the Sustainable Produce Summit set for Sept. 22-24, 2020. Presented by The Packer and Trust In Food, in partnership with Apeel Sciences, the fully virtual event will empower and equip the fresh produce industry to feed the world in ways that promote environmental stewardship and enhance the quality of life in communities across the globe.

The program will offer exclusive content centered on daily themes, including environmental practices, social sustainability and consumer insights. Powerful keynotes, interactive breakout sessions and actionable case studies are all on the agenda. An intimate and focused virtual exhibit hall will deliver educational opportunities for attendees and exhibitors with online networking features available throughout the event.

“We believe that true sustainability can only be reached as a community-it takes all of us,” said Matt Morgan, executive vice president of produce for Farm Journal. “To advance that goal, we’re excited to deliver this new virtual event, which will bring together top thought leaders and changemakers in this space, while also meeting the demands of companies and customers, throughout the supply chain, who are asking for more guidance and collaboration around sustainable business practices.”

A program highlight will be the presentation of data and analysis from a recent study commissioned by The Packer and Trust In Food that polled growers, retailers and consumers about their perspectives and practices related to sustainability.

“In partnership with leaders across the supply chain, we are realizing the environmental, social and business benefits of applying nature’s solutions to solve food waste,” said Jason De Turris, vice president of brand marketing at Apeel. “We’re excited to partner with The Packer and Trust In Food to educate the growing community of sustainability innovators. The more we understand about how we use natural resources, the more power we will have in making the right decisions for our food system and beyond.”

The Sustainable Produce Summit will provide sponsors a platform to position their companies and products as solutions to establish or expand sustainable business practices and will deliver valuable exposure before, during and after the event.

To learn more about the program and sponsorship opportunities or register for the event, go to www.sustainableproducesummit.com.

Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 144 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business; and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.

About Trust In Food
Trust In Food is a purpose-driven division of Farm Journal, dedicated to rebuilding consumer confidence in the U.S. agricultural value chain by partnering with farmers and ranchers to accelerate conservation agriculture-practice adoption and maintenance benefiting land, water, air and farm businesses. It advances this mission through data science, research, strategic communications and Farm Journal platform in collaboration with conservation organizations, government agencies, agribusinesses, food companies and retailers and other food system stakeholders.

About Apeel
Apeel is a company that is fighting the global food waste crisis by utilizing nature’s tools to prevent waste in the first place - a sustainable approach to the world’s growing food demands. The company’s plant-derived technology helps fresh food growers, suppliers, and retailers maintain produce quality and extend shelf life, which minimizes food waste from the farm to the retail shelf to the kitchen table.

Nature Fresh Farms thrives on sustainability

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:16:18 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Not only does Leamington, Ontario-based Nature Fresh Farms grow a wide selection of certified organic and conventional peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes in more than 200 acres of high-tech greenhouses, but it grows them sustainably with emphasis on things like water conservation, biofuel alternatives, integrated pest management and food waste recovery.

“ Sustainability is an increasingly important issue with more consumers demanding companies to become socially responsible and adopt sustainable practices,” said Sarah Krzysik, public relations coordinator.

“Companies needing to become socially responsible must continuously move toward a system that is more sustainable — environmentally, economically and socially,” she said.

Over time, developing sustainable business practices fosters company longevity and increases profits, she added.

Efficient water use facilitated by means of drip irrigation is one way Nature Fresh works toward sustainability.

“The placement of our dripper tubes makes it easy for our growers to deliver precise volumes of nutrient water directly to the root systems of our plants,” Krzysik said.

The drip irrigation process uses a pressure-compensated drip tube system that releases a specified volume of water once a certain amount of water pressure is applied to the dripper’s release valve.

This allows for water and nutrients to be evenly distributed across the entire crop, she said.

Read more about sustainability here.

The company also uses a closed-loop irrigation system, which means that excess water that plants don’t take up through their root systems is collected, tested, cleaned and sent back out to the plants.

“Through our closed-loop irrigation system, we recycle and recirculate over 300 million liters of fertilizer-rich water per year,” she said.

Sustainability also is achieved through use of biofuel and alternative ways of powering operations using waste products or other forms of “clean” energy, Krzysik said.

“A biomass boiler uses renewable fuel to create energy,” she said.

“We could use several different substances to power our biomass boilers — we’ve experimented with materials such as corn cobs and oat hull pellets — but we’ve come to the conclusion that the best fuel for our boilers is clean waste wood that has not been chemically treated and that may have ended up in a landfill if we did not burn it in our biomass boilers,” she said.

In addition to receiving wood from sources in the community, Nature Fresh burns any clean wood products found on its farm, including damaged pallets and scrap wood from construction sites.

Using integrated pest management or similar growing methods to minimize pesticide and fertilizer use also helps ensure sustainability.

“We currently use 19 different species of good bugs in our greenhouses for pest management,” Krzysik said.

These bugs include the cucumeris, lacewing, degeneran and persimilis, she said, while bumble bees are used for pollination.

“Every bug we use for managing pests and maintaining plant health is unique,” Krzysik said. “They each fight different bad bug species, require different application processes and look and act differently than one another.”

Nature Fresh uses the bugs to create a balanced and biodiverse system in its greenhouses to ultimately reduce the need for pesticides, she said.

Eliminating food waste is another step in the sustainability process.

When the company ends up with greenhouse-grown products that can’t be sold at the retail level but are still nutritious and fully edible, they’re donated to local organizations that pass them along to those in need.

“We donate every week to Plentiful Harvest Food Rescue Program and from there they distribute it throughout the local area and also ship it to Daily Bread Food Bank in the Toronto area,” Krzysik said.

Since the program began, Nature Fresh has donated 427,725 pounds of food to Plentiful Harvest with 75,759 pounds donated to the Downtown Mission of Windsor.

Nature Fresh uses its website and social media to keep followers up to date on its sustainability practices and strategies.

Most recently, the company launched a plant-a-tree campaign on its social media platforms when it announced its home compostable cucumber wrap, Krzysik said.

With every share of its promotional post, Nature Fresh Farms will plant one tree.

“We thought this campaign would help share the news of this new-to-North America packaging while helping the environment,” she said.

“Our website also contains a blog that is regularly updated and shares content on a range of topics including our ongoing sustainability initiatives.”

Here are a few ways to ensure you never miss The Packer’s sustainability content:

Catch up on what you missed at our first Sustainable Produce Summit, including full videos of the keynotes and presentations. Watch here.

Lettuce Learn More is a podcast focused on produce industry education, brought to you by The Packer. Season one of the podcast features educational sessions from the Sustainable Produce Summit. Listen here .

Equal Exchange strives for sustainability

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 19:49:34 GMT

To find the latest news and resources related to conservation agriculture and sustainable food systems, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Organic growing and sustainability go hand in hand.

Producing fruits and vegetables without applying toxic chemicals and by following other prudent growing practices can help preserve the soil and make farming possible for generations to come.

Perhaps no one knows that better than president Nicole Vitello and those who work for and with West Bridgewater, Mass.-based Oke USA Fruit Co./Equal Exchange Produce.

Equal Exchange markets avocados produced by three grower cooperatives representing 68 small-scale farmers in Michoacan, Mexico, Vitello said.

All of the cooperatives are Fair Trade certified, which means the avocados they produce are grown under conditions that meet rigorous social, environmental and economic standards that ensure safe conditions for workers, protect the environment and help farmers build and maintain sustainable livelihoods and even earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities, she said.

The farmers in the Equal Exchange supply chain care deeply about the environment, she added.

“They have been organic farmers for decades, and many for generations.”

Many growers in the co-ops used to grow using conventional methods but transitioned to organic decades ago for the health of their farms, their communities, their workers and their soil, Vitello said.

Through the Fair Trade program, Equal Exchange negotiates prices weekly with producers and pays an additional $1.36 per case as a Fair Trade premium.

The co-ops democratically decide how to apply the premium in their communities, Vitello said.

“They are committed to growing sustainably and have committed Fair Trade Premium dollars to various environmental projects, such as reforestation efforts, apiculture — or beekeeping — and supporting forest fire brigades,” she said.

As an example, members of PRAGOR, one of the three Equal Exchange cooperatives, has implemented apiculture projects in avocado orchards, supported reforestation by helping plant pine trees in the orchards in

collaboration with environmental groups and helped with the purchase of equipment for the forest brigade in the city of Periban, which is responsible for fighting forest fires.

By allocating funds, “The small producers truly feels that they are helping their community who belong to PRAGOR,” Vitello said.

“Organic produce is a growth category, and sustainability is on shoppers’ minds, especially a new generation of shoppers who are gravitating toward brands that can tell the story behind their products with authenticity and integrity,” Vitello said.

Equal Exchange helps accomplish that by connecting small farmers with consumers.

“Our goal around Equal Exchange as a brand, and our model of purchasing directly under Fair Trade terms, is designed to connect people instead of separate them,” she said.

The company’s avocado growth has been “exponential,” she added.

“We’re growing by 20%-25% year over year as a company.”

At the same time, more people want to know where their avocados are coming from, Vitello said

Growing organically is more difficult and often less profitable in the short term than growing conventionally, but investing in soil health, tree health and the health of the local community is a longer-term investment, Vitello said.

“Choosing to grow organically fosters the health of their soils, protects the pollinators on their farms and promotes the resiliency of their orchards for the long term.”

Equal Exchange is committed to connecting farmers with consumers through education about how avocados are grown and traded, she said.

“The more people learn about how their food is grown the more opportunities there will be for organics to grow both on the farm level and the retail level.”

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Study examines sustainable eating

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:29:07 GMT

A new survey published by Forager reveals that 29% of consumers want to eat more sustainably.

Forager, a cloud-based platform connecting growers with local grocers, surveyed 500 U.S. adults in early January through the AYTM online research service, according to a news release.

Sustainability
Infogram
The survey found that, when asked “The role of food in our lives is changing. In thinking about this, which of these is important to you?”:

86% of consumers polled want to eat healthier;
41% want to eat more local food;
29% want to eat more sustainably; and
7%: replied none of the above.
However, the study found that consumers generally valued local food for reasons not related to sustainability.

In responding to the question “What is the most important reason you buy local food?” the study found:

41%: support local farmers and producers;
39%: local food was more nutritious and higher quality;
11%: local food was more sustainable and had a lower carbon footprint;
5%: help favorite grocer stay in business; and
4%: none of the above.

Still, the study made a case that retailers have plenty of incentive to boost local food offerings, especially fresh produce. Three out of four consumers indicated they buy local food throughout the year.
Responding to the question, “Which types of local food would you likely buy more of?” responses were:

Fresh fruits and vegetables: 91%;
Meat: 56%;
Dairy: 52%;
Fish: 40%;
Packaged goods: 33%;
Wellness products and supplements: 26%; and
None of the above: 4%.

“As large conventional grocers think about how to compete with independents who are winning consumer loyalty, and as small grocers work to make assortment and experience strong enough to offset growing demand for convenience, local fresh food has the greatest potential to meet consumer demands and drive foot traffic, loyalty and sales,” the report said.

Most consumers indicated that they will pay at least some premium for local food.

Responding to the question “Up to how much more would you will willing to pay for local food if it were available to purchase where you shop,” consumers said:

5% premium: 34%;
10% premium: 29%;
20% premium: 9%;
Over 20%: 4%; and
Not willing to pay more: 23%.

Winter months now allow increased purchases of local food, according to the report, noting the expansion of vertical farming and season-extending innovations for open-field production.

“(Consumers) are waiting to be enticed into new grocer relationships by those who capitalize on the expanding availability of local foods in ‘off-season’ periods such as winter,” the study said.

“Consumers are willing to pay more to get the best, most local fresh food available.”

Responding to the question “How likely would you be to buy more local food if more was available during the winter months?” the survey found:

45%: very likely;
48%: likely; and
7%: not likely.

Most of those surveyed said they were satisfied with local food offerings where they shopped. In answering the question “How satisfied are you with the quality and availability of local food at your regular grocery store?” shoppers said:

27%: very satisfied;
58%: generally satisfied; and
14%: not satisfied.

Answering the question, “How likely are you to shop at a different grocer than your regular one if they have local food more widely available?” the responses were:

32%: very likely;
48%: likely;
20%: not likely.

However, the study said that consumers indicated a majority will change store loyalties to get the type of products they want.

“As consumer preferences intensify and competition challenges grocers even further, the attraction of expanding local will draw in more grocers,” the study said.

“This will disrupt competitive dynamics and unleash the full impact on sales and loyalty as consumers seek out products to fit their evolving diet priorities.”

To find the latest on sustainable food systems and conservation ag, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Supplyshift online tool launches in February

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:22:40 GMT

The Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops (SISC) online calculator will take wing in February to help produce growers document and report on the sustainability practices they are using in their businesses.

Earlier this year, SISC announced a new partnership with the supplier management technology platform SupplyShift to move the industry toward a mobile-friendly tool that’s easier to use than traditional spreadsheets. A soft rollout of the tool is expected Feb. 1.

Origin and purposes

Founded in 2008, SISC is a coalition of growers, grower groups, buyers and environmental NGOs who collaborate to develop and maintain metrics that all parties agree are the most important indicators of stewardship. Those indicators are designed to capture insights into nutrient, water and energy use; soil health; habitat and biodiversity; and more.

SISC seeks to advance optimal production and strong environmental protection by offering a suite of science-based, data-driven metrics, director Alison Edwards says.

Edwards says the selection of SupplyShift came after SISC put out a solicitation of interest to software companies on their interest to build an online tool. After a number of candidates were interviewed, SISC chose SupplyShift in large part because its technology was well developed to facilitate two-way communication.

The SISC calculator will be available at no cost for growers to create a baseline of their stewardship and track continual improvement as they enact management changes. Aggregators, retailers, brands and industry groups can also use the SISC calculator to baseline and help improve the on-farm sustainability practices of their suppliers.

SupplyShift will be the central software provider offering the SISC calculator, with the ability for agricultural software tools to easily plug into the platform and provide input data to calculate the metrics.

“SupplyShift has the ability that it has to make it easy to communicate between suppliers and buyers across the supply chain,” she says. “We really want growers to get valuable information back from their buyers if they’re going to be providing information (to buyers),” she said.

Edwards said SupplyShift is built around the premise of two-way communication.

SupplyShift could be used by individual growers and also by aggregators of data like grower associations.
Associations or grower groups can use SupplyShift in an aggregator role, she says. Associations could use the tool to help their growers understand how they could improve efficiencies in water use, for example, or connect them with technical solutions and track their improvement.

That also would allow grower groups to better be able to tell that industry-wide story to the public, regulators and buyers on behalf of their growers.

The software is enabled for tablets and phones, but Edwards says most of metrics collected are annual information and most often might be recorded on a desktop computer.

The list of metrics for the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crop now includes:

Applied water use efficiency;
Simple irrigation efficiency;
Habitat and biodiversity;
Energy use;
Nitrogen use;
Phosphorus use; and
Soil organic matter.

SISC: Path to improvement

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:22:40 GMT

Path to improvement

Jamie Barsimantov, co-founder and COO of SupplyShift, says the combination of SISC metrics with SupplyShift’s technology platform will directly empower farmers and their industry partners to better assess and improve sustainability performance. He says the tool was in the test phase in November and will be targeted for rollout after the first of the year.

Two large agribusinesses and one large grower group will be a part of the initial group of users of the SISC tool in SupplyShift.
SupplyShift is a seven-year-old California company and provides a global network for supply chain responsibility information. Big brands such as Walmart and other retailers use the platform to request data from their suppliers.

SupplyShift has projects that range from collecting data from female coffee farmers in Rwanda to collaboration with the global nonprofit The Sustainability Consortium. The consortium counts Walmart and Kroger among its founding members and uses SupplyShift to ask suppliers about sustainability attributes. Some of those brands could, in theory, also could use the data gathered in the SISC online calculator.

The need for supply chain transparency is a big part of the value of SupplyShift, Barsimantov says. Demand for transparency and sustainability data is multiplying the burden on the supply chain to collect data and make sense of it.

Growers can make data available to customers, but who will help those suppliers make it valuable for their own operations?

“People have fatigue about providing information, but I think it is more about lack of value. If you fill out a survey and submit it, and you don’t hear anything back ever, what was the point of that?” he says.

“But if you hear that, compared to people that are like you, you’re actually not doing so good on this and you are doing much better on that, and if your peer group are your customers, then all of a sudden you are interested.”

Being able to put data in one place, whether that data relates to sustainability, food safety or other topics, can make it easier to share and create visibility for the supply chain.

“In the end, it is all about trying to help farmers understand how they are doing, and how they best improve,” he says.

More to come

Edwards says that SISC is currently working on a food loss metric, expected to be finished in the spring. The metric is out for review now and has been piloted.

Various buyers in the supply chain are particularly interested in certain metrics, she says, noting that Walmart is aligned with the metrics for nutrient and water use. Many brands are interested in the food loss metric, she says.

“There are different ways that different groups are using our metrics,” she says.

The simple irrigation efficiency metric captures how well the plants are using the water.

“It’s a true efficiency metric, which is really great because that way a grower can be using it as a management tool, as it takes soil type and climatic region out of the equation in the way the metric is interpreted.

“The more efficient you get, the better it is,” she says.

SISC has been doing projects with Western Growers Association and packer-shippers in the Salinas area, taking into account the efficiency metric, the generalized water metric, and the nutrient metric.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is help them be able to respond to the Walmart sustainability survey,” she says.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods is doing a separate project on its operation near Ventura where it is applying almost all the metrics, Edward says, seeking to “baseline” its operations and get experience using the metrics as a management tool. Lipman Farms also is doing a project using the metric measures, particularly related to water use and efficiency.

Panera recently joined SISC and Edwards says the company is seeking to understand metrics its suppliers could provide to it.

SISC: Creating efficiency

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:22:40 GMT

Edward says that SISC has attempted to create a standard way to measure metrics related to sustainability but acknowledged there is more work to be done.

The whole reason why SISC was created, she says, was to have a multi-stakeholder process in which different but equal voices can have one yardstick that the whole industry can use to measure sustainability, in a way that works for the grower and provides value as a management tool.

The limited resources of SISC may have slowed progress to that goal, but Edwards says that SISC has big chances to help specialty crop growers throughout the U.S.

“I think it’s really important that the message get out to the industry, to buyers and to grower groups, to the entire industry — that is the mission and purpose of SISC,” she says. “They are all welcome to join to help facilitate that.”

If the industry is complaining about the lack of alignment or harmonization, she says one way to address that issue is to join SISC.

“The room exists to have that conversation, and that’s what this is for the produce and for the whole specialty crop industry,” she says.

“I think what needs to happen is that people need to know about SISC more and the value of that and really get behind it and support it,” she says.

While there is some push-back against collecting and sharing data, Edwards says, farmers and agriculture are likely to be asked more and more about data.

“Ag is going to be asked for this more and more and more, and it’s going to have to deliver one way or the other,” she says.

“That’s what SISC (is doing), is trying to get out ahead and trying to solve that,” she says.

SISC is trying to make sure that when farmers are asked for data, the process is done in a way that it is easy to collect and valuable to growers as a management tool, and that information is shared in a way that it adds value to everyone in the supply chain.

“We don’t have (all) the answers but the industry is welcome to come and join us in helping figure that out,” she says.

Grower groups may be in the best position to help individual growers understand what is needed to track the metrics, connect those growers with solutions when needed, helping track their improvement over time and telling their story.

“I’d love to get many more grower groups involved; they are the best partners and advocates,” she says.

SISC has about 45 board members and also has an affiliate membership program for software companies and agricultural input companies. All of SISC’s funding comes from its members.

“If the industry likes the idea of having a single yardstick, reducing duplication and moving to harmonization, then they should really support (SISC),” she says.

Consumers demand sustainability

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:39:47 GMT

A two-headed consumer strolls around today’s grocery stores, confusing food producers and packers alike. One day the consumer searches out food products that are local, organic and welfare-friendly. The next week, that same consumer goes down the aisle and chooses food items that are cheap, affordable and safe.

The challenge? A two-headed consumer doesn’t behave the same way all the time.

It’s puzzling to food companies and others and is causing shifts in what retailers buy from growers.

“Suddenly, big is bad and food companies are really struggling with that new paradigm,” says Aidan Connolly, chief executive officer of Cainthus and president of AgriTech Capital. “Before now, being big was good. People wanted to drink the same soda, eat the same cereal and have the same cookies as their neighbors. You used to gain credibility by being associated with big brands.”

But that’s no longer true. Food companies are now trying to guess what consumers want. A new global survey by Cargill on consumer expectation says consumers want growers to be sustainable.

“Words like safe, healthy, local were words that used to come to the top of the list of what consumers wanted farmers to be,” says Emily Johannes, director of sustainability for K-Coe Isom LLP, referencing Cargill’s survey. “Now they want us to be sustainable. They aren’t saying they want us to all be organic or all plant-based protein – this is a huge opportunity for us to be who we want to be.”

Ed Treacy says that in the produce world, the word sustainability is integrally linked with the terms food safety and traceability. That means growers, packers and shippers must be prepared to tell their individual stories.

“The public wants to know the stories of how food is grown, how the workers were treated and who picked the produce in the field,” says Treacy, vice president of supply chain and sustainability at the Produce Marketing Association.

The Rise of Prosumers

Connolly refers to consumers as prosumers—people who actively become involved with the design, production and delivery of the goods and services they consume. “What they choose to consume reflects their values, aspirations and beliefs,” Connolly says. From a company perspective it means that more and more prosumers shape, and even control, the message and drive demand — not the manufacturer.

“You’re seeing questioning of farm practices that we’ve never had to be concerned with,” Connolly says. “On a global scale, that’s being reflected in what farmers are choosing to do.”

Sustainability ‘just good business’ for Limoneira

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:49 GMT

Sustainability is nothing new for Limoneira Co. , the Santa Paula, Calif.-based citrus and avocado grower-shipper.

“Limoneira has been sustainably producing citrus for over a century and a quarter,” said John Chamberlain, vice president of marketing.

“The pioneers that founded the company were practicing treading lightly on the land before sustainability even entered the modern lexicon,” he said.

They did so because using fewer expensive agricultural inputs, such as water, to yield the same production increased operating margins, he said.

“It was basically just good business.”

Limoneira’s board and management still believe that it is possible to “do well while doing good,” Chamberlain said.

The company’s substantial investments in solar, green waste recycling, integrated pest management and patented low-tech water projects have made Limoneira a leader in sustainability, he said.

Chamberlain himself is encouraging sustainability industrywide by serving as chairman of the Produce Marketing Association’s 40-member Sustainability Committee.

“The members of the committee are experts in their sustainability roles, and they share a wide array of practices, procedures and technologies, which will be more widely disseminated to PMA members under Ed Treacy’s leadership,” he said.

Treacy is PMA’s vice president of supply chain and sustainability and serves as committee liaison.

Limoneira outlined its energy-saving efforts in a case study prepared for PMA members.

“By investing in the land, water, local communities and the environment, we are able to make more long-term value than if we’d focused on short-term, immediate gain,” CEO Harold Edwards says in the case study to be posted on PMA’s website.

The company says it’s on target to becoming 100% energy efficient, and expects to sell clean energy back to the electricity supply grid in the near future.

At the same time, Limoneira said that its commitment to sustainability has helped generate new business and cement its relationships with customers and consumers.

A major goal of Limoneira has been to generate enough clean electricity to work off the grid.

The company made its first large-scale investment of $8 million in solar in 2006 and 2007.

Limoneira said its solar “orchard” became the world’s first solar array to be designated a LEED Gold Certified green building.

But that was only the first step to becoming energy self-sufficient.

Limoneira needed to be able to store energy produced during sunshine hours for use at night.

The company signed a contract with Tesla, the electric car maker, to serve as its battery beta-test site.

It was a win-win agreement.

Limoneira gained the energy storage solution it needed to achieve its goal of self-sufficiency, while Tesla gained insight into how its batteries interact with solar arrays and the grid.

Edwards encourages those interested in investing in solar to understand the investment costs versus energy savings they will realize and to look for potential tax rebates and credits.

He said there are opportunities for companies that have roof space but don’t want to go out of pocket to get clean energy.

“We provided the space for utility suppliers to put panels on our roof, and in return we get a fixed price per kilowatt on some of the energy they produce,” Edwards said.

Related content:
California packaging legislation will change industry
Sustainable Produce Summits give insight

To find the latest on sustainable food systems and conservation ag, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.

Produce Marketing Association's committee focuses on sustainability

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:49 GMT

Although it’s only been about a year since the Produce Marketing Association’s Sustainability Committee held its first meeting, PMA has long been on the cutting edge when it comes to sustainability.

The organization, for example, has been a leading funder of the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops since SISC was founded in 2008 and has been reaching out to organizations like the Soil Health Institute that have emphasized sustainability, said Ed Treacy, PMA’s vice president of supply chain and sustainability.

“We had been doing things to support sustainability-type initiatives, but not formally, and we didn’t have a volunteer committee,” Treacy said.

But that changed in late 2018, when PMA’s board of directors updated its strategic plan and added sustainability as its fifth area of focus — along with demand creation, industry talent, global connections and science and technology.

The stated purpose of the Sustainability Committee is to “serve PMA membership by identifying sustainability trends, information, resources and best practices so industry members can apply them to their business both domestically and globally.”

The 40-member committee, which John Chamberlain, vice president of marketing for Santa Paula, Calif.-based Limoneira Co. , chairs with Treacy as the liaison, met three times during its first year.

One of its first accomplishments was to respond to PMA membership’s need for a shared definition of sustainability, Treacy said.

That definition is contained in the committee’s mission: To help inspire the produce and floral industries to continuously optimize processes and resources in order to drive economic, social and environmental benefits that leave the world a better place for future generations.

Or, as Treacy puts it: “Implementing initiatives that benefit the planet and the people on it profitably — the three Ps.”

As companies share their stories about their sustainability programs, Treacy expects those programs to catch on industrywide.

“The produce industry is very good at learning from each other and implementing what their competitors, friends and other companies have implemented,” he said.

The committee quickly found that there is a plethora of things that fall under the “people, plant and profitability” heading.

“We can’t do everything all at once,” he said. “We need to prioritize.”

So the committee came up with a list of five focus areas:

Packaging, which includes recycling and the reduction but not the elimination of single-use plastic;

Food waste and food loss, which includes waste reduction;

Soil health, which Treacy said is a must for sustainability;

Social responsibility/labor, which includes the adoption and promotion of the Ethical Charter; and

Renewable energy/alternative energy, which includes energy efficiency.

The Ethical Charter was spearheaded by PMA president Cathy Burns and United Fresh Produce Association president Tom Stenzel and centers on fair and ethical treatment of employees.

It has been adopted and endorsed by many produce companies.

PMA’s Sustainability Committee has taken a couple of approaches to accomplish its goal of inspiring companies to launch sustainability programs.

One is through case studies — about two per month — that take a deep dive into initiatives that specific member companies have undertaken to solve problems within the five focus areas and explaining, when possible, what the financial implications were.

The case studies are available to members on PMA’s website, pma.com.

The committee also is working with a communications consulting company to develop tools.

One of those is a tool to help members recognize that their current business practices may well be sustainable.

“Some multi-generation businesses don’t see that some of their business initiatives and the way they run their business are sustainable and worth telling consumers or their trading partners about,” Treacy said.

Another tool being developed will help those businesses tell their stories by explaining what they should or should not say and how to go about it.

There will be two versions — one to address consumers and one for trading partners or other industry members.

The work on the tools is expected to start within the next month or so.

Also, some members of the committee are assisting with the development of a benchmark for sustainability audits, which an increasing number of produce buyers are requiring.

The effort to develop the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative is being led by the Consumer Goods Forum, which created the Global Food Safety initiative, which serves as a benchmark for food safety audits.

“It gives the audits credibility and ensures that they are thorough and adhere to certain standards,” Treacy said.

Treacy is a member of the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative stakeholder committee, and two PMA Sustainability Committee members are on the working group to develop audit schemes.

While there are about 15 different food safety audit schemes, there are more than 150 covering sustainability.

“Sustainability is broader than food safety,” he said.

Cost should not be a deterrent to implementing a sustainability initiative, since there are many initiatives that have a positive return on investment, Treacy said.

Those are the ones that will be highlighted.

Treacy emphasized that sustainability isn’t just a grower-shipper concern.

The concept applies to the entire supply chain, including retailers, distribution centers and transportation.

He reiterated that sustainability is not a new concept for PMA.

“Our focus on it is just being formalized and accelerated,” he said.

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California packaging legislation will change industry

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:45 GMT

California lawmakers appear poised to pass legislation that could dramatically alter the way produce is packed in the state within 10 years.

The California Circular Economy and Pollution Reduction Act — Senate Bill 54 and companion legislation Assembly Bill 1080 — would require massive investment in California’s recycling infrastructure and mandate changes to the way produce is packed, said Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packing, Union City, Calif.

Kelly said he has been involved in packaging issues for 25 years in California, beginning with the first bans of grocery carry-out sacks.

The legislation now being considered for passage in California would by 2030 largely ban all single-use packaging that isn’t recycled. The distinction is “recycled,” not “recyclable,” Kelly said.

The bill would require regulations to “achieve and maintain” by Jan. 1, 2030, a 75% reduction statewide of the waste generated from single-use packaging and priority single-use products offered for sale, sold, distributed, or imported in or into the state through source reduction, recycling, or composting.

“This hits the produce industry right in the jaw because of course you have all the field-pack packaging, the romaine bags, the iceberg lettuce bags, cauliflower bags, and then you have all the processed produce packaging, the salads, baby carrot, and what not,” Kelly said.

Some of those produce packaging materials — such as a baby carrot bag — are feasible to recycle because they are “straight up” polyethylene single material that can go through a recycling process.

On the other hand, plastic used in salad bags to extend shelf life cannot be recycled, because the plastic is made of two materials — typically polyethylene and polypropylene — combined with adhesive.

Based on the way the law is written, all salad packing as it exists now would be gone because it could not be recycled, Kelly said.

“Frankly the produce industry has not woken up to the implications of this law,” he said.

The legislation came within a few votes of passing last year and appears to have the necessary support in an election year to become law, he said.

While some farm groups are lobbying for changes in the legislation to account for provisions for field packing, it is unclear if those changes will be incorporated to the law, Kelly said.

“The governor has made it very clear he wants (the legislation) on his desk within three weeks,” Kelly said in early February.

The law, if passed as written, will require reinvention of almost all salad packaging and also massive investment in recycling systems to handle flexible plastic bags.

“At this point, California’s recycling system — really no recycling system in the United States — is set up to handle (flexible plastic bags),” he said.

Special equipment is needed to handle flimsy plastic bags since they tend to gum up recycling systems.

“In 10 years, we would have to reinvent the entire recycling system in California and reinvent packaging in order to make what we have today recycled to meet a 70% recycled rate,” he said.

Today, Kelly said a lot of companies say their packaging is “recycle ready.”

“Under this law, that is BS; you will have to recycle it,” he said.

Kelly said Emerald Packing sells its waste plastic at its facility to Trex Decking for that company to create a type of hybrid wood plastic decking materials.

It is difficult to take plastic and rigid clamshell packaging and make it back into packaging, he said, and few companies do it today.

“It’s really difficult to wash it, and then you can make it back into plastic, but building out facilities that can actually do that would probably take 20 or 30 years to handle all the plastic in the U.S., let alone the plastic in California,” he said.

About 60% of what is put in recycling bins, even in California, winds up in landfills for various reasons.

Fixing the current recycling system in California would take about $20 billion, and probably at least that much to effectively recycle produce bags, he estimated.

Rigid clamshell containers can be recycled, but most of them have labels that cannot be easily washed off and thus cannot be recycled. One solution is to put a film lid on the clamshell, which keeps the clamshell clean and more easily recycled.

Some clamshells are starting to come with labels that can be washed off, but Kelly said washing off those clamshells requires water and chemicals to remove the labels.

“Two things that the state of California doesn’t like — they don’t like to give up water because we’re entering another drought, and they don’t like chemicals in the water,” he said.

“It is a hard road, but not as tough as (bagged) salad packaging.”

Kelly said there is only one facility in California that turns clamshell plastic back into plastic pellets that can be used to create new packaging.

“Demand for post-consumer recycled resin is strong right now, and prices for the resin has gone up in the last four months from 71 cents a pound to $1.30 per pound,” he said.

“It has doubled because everybody’s waking up to you and wanting consumer recycled resin into their product.”

“The one-pound clamshell bowl of spinach probably has a more successful chance of still being around in 10 years than a one-pound (bag) of Italian salad,” he said.

Bio-based plastics — typically made from corn, sugar or cellulose — don’t have the supply capacity to replace plastics made from petrochemicals.

Expanding capacity of bio-based plastics would take two to three generations to equal the scale of petrochemical plants, he said, noting that plastic resin is a byproduct of cracking natural gas.

“Everybody wants to talk about bio plastics, but very few companies want to pay the price for a bio-based material, which is literally right now 10 times more expensive in raw material form than petrochemical-based plastics,” he said. “Try to sell that price increase to Walmart; they just won’t take it,” he said.

What’s more, bio-based plastics can meet the D6400 compostable standard, which requires that the material be degraded to 81% of its dry weight in 90 days.

However, most industrial compost turns in 40 days and those facilities don’t want bio-based plastics because they don’t compost fast enough, Kelly said.

Paper-based packaging is recyclable but has the disadvantage of not working with wet produce.

“Getting people to recycle (paper) is probably a bit easier than trying to figure out how to recycle plastics,” he said.

“Wet product and paper is a problem, and of course the paper can’t be poly-coated to protect it against wetness because then it’s not recyclable,” he said.

Kelly said California’s legislation is too ambitious.

“If they gave us until 2040, I think maybe we would have a shot at it,” he said. “I think the 10-year time horizon is just way too short.”

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