California Fruit and Vegetable

Category: Technology

  • GroPro Announces Facilities Expansion in California and Florida

    – SPONSORED CONTENT –

    Due to the growing demand, GroPro is pleased to announce the expansion of its storage, manufacturing, and packaging facilities in the USA. GroPro, an international Bio-Pesticide, Bio-Stimulant, and Bio-Fertilizer manufacturer with headquarters in Minneapolis (the USA), is planning an expansion of its operational facilities in California and Florida.

    The planned expansion will replace California’s existing 5,000 sq ft storage facility with a new development facility of about 12,000 square feet. The new facilities, located in Fresno, Ca, also will include liquid bio-fertilizer manufacturing and storage integrated with crop protection blending and bottling facility and warehouse. In addition, the new liquid facility will be equipped with a new research and development laboratory. Also, with additional 5,000 sq ft warehouse in Florida GroPro to allow its south East dealer quicker access to materials. According to the GroPro team, these expansion projects aim to improve customer service and operational efficiency; the projects are expected to be launched this October.

    “GroPro is committed to investing in continuous process improvements and deepening the implementation of GroPro US commercial, manufacturing, and R&D strategy that will benefit and support our existing and new customers. With these new facilities in California, we will be able to continue providing uninterrupted deliveries and faster supply of our products to our partners and customers,” – commented Benito Varela, GroPro’s COO.

    GroPro’s approach includes a combination of unique natural ingredients and modern technologies to increase the bio-efficacy of products. Sustainability is firmly rooted in the entire company’s decision process, from early research to product development. This empowers our development team here and abroad to research and formulate effective materials that benefit our distributors, dealers, and growers.

    When Plant Health Matters and Yields Count!

    More info: groproag.com

  • AI Helps Detect Watermelon Disease Quickly, Accurately

    If you savor a juicy watermelon in the scorching summer heat, farmers toil to meet your tastes. But, like all farmers, those who produce watermelons seek ways to control diseases, so they don’t lose all or part of their crops. The needs of growers drive Yiannis Ampatzidis to use artificial intelligence to detect pathogens early and accurately.

    One such disease, downy mildew, spreads like wildfire, said Ampatzidis, an Associate Professor of Ag & Biological Engineering at the University of Florida.

    For a new study, Ampatzidis used AI to help find downy mildew.

    In newly published research, Ampatzidis used spectral reflectance —  the energy a surface reflects at specific wavelengths — of plant canopies and machine learning to quickly and efficiently detect downy mildew in several stages of the disease.

    Hopefully, farmers can take advantage of this technology.

    “If left unchecked, downy mildew can destroy a farmer’s entire crop within days. That’s why it gets the nickname ‘wildfire.’ It spreads rapidly and scorches leaves,” said Ampatzidis, a faculty member at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center.

    Ampatzidis and his research team successfully detected downy mildew in several stages of severity.

    “Our most important result was finding downy mildew in its earliest stage, which is critical to growers’ ability to manage this disease,” he said.

    Ampatzidis and his research team developed two methods, utilizing hyperspectral imaging and AI — one in the laboratory and the other using UAVs (drones) for field detection.

    Downy mildew does not affect stems or fruit directly. But it can defoliate the plants, leaving fruit exposed to sun damage, making it unmarketable.

    As long as consumers continue to buy watermelon — and those who grow the fruit want to reap a good harvest — Ampatzidis will continue to find ways to find pathogens that could damage the fruit.

    As next steps in his research, Ampatzidis wants to develop a simple and inexpensive drone-based sensor to improve detection of downy mildew in watermelon plants. — By Brad Buck, University of Florida, Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences

  • Turlock Irrigation District Serves Growers, Conserves Water with New Technology

    Amidst a threatening drought, groups and individuals are working to find more ways to conserve the precious resource of water, and Turlock Irrigation District has been leading the way for sustainable water management with new technologies and strategies. Watch this brief interview with Michelle Reimers from Turlock Irrigation District as she explains their recent improvements and plans.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

     

  • Turlock Irrigation District Serves Growers, Conserves Water with New Technology

    Amidst a threatening drought, groups and individuals are working to find more ways to conserve the precious resource of water, and Turlock Irrigation District has been leading the way for sustainable water management with new technologies and strategies. Watch this brief interview with Michelle Reimers from Turlock Irrigation District as she explains their recent improvements and plans.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

     

  • POM Wonderful Begins Transition To 100% Recycled Plastic And Renewable Energy

    POM Wonderful, the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the U.S., is proud to announce it is furthering its commitment to a sustainable future with the transition to 100% recycled plastic (rPET) bottles and shifting more than 90% of its electricity needs to renewable energy.

    Throughout North America, starting in May 2022, all 16 oz. bottles of POM Wonderful juices–100% Pomegranate Juice, Pomegranate Blueberry 100% Juice, and Pomegranate Cherry 100% Juice–will be bottled in 100% rPET. The new bottles will feature a “100% Recycled Plastic” logo. This commitment is just the beginning of the company’s overall strategy to reduce single-use plastic and transitions more than 11 million bottles to 100% rPET annually as the brand approaches its 20th anniversary this fall.

    As part of POM Wonderful’s ongoing sustainability journey, the company completed work on a solar farm at its processing plant in Del Rey, California. This project, which will be operational in June 2022, is expected to deliver more than 90% of the company’s electricity needs by 2023. These initiatives are part of the company’s larger sustainability road map to reduce its carbon footprint and build a more sustainable future through responsible agriculture and farming, energy, waste, packaging, and emissions.

    “As an agricultural company at heart, we know that sustainability is critical to our future. That’s why it’s important that we make environmental sustainability a core principle of our work, and conserve natural resources to minimize our company’s impact on the environment,” said Derrick Miller, president, POM Wonderful. “As we celebrate the transition to rPET and renewable energy, we continue to look for new ways to minimize our impact, serve as community stewards, and enhance sustainability across every part of our business.”

    In 2020, POM Wonderful launched an innovation challenge, offering $1 million in funding and development resources to innovators who could develop an economical and environmentally friendly pilot-ready solution for the 50,000 tons of pomegranate husks generated each year by the company. In 2021, two winners were announced: BCD Bioscience and Enagon. As a direct result of this funding, BCD Bioscience is discovering ways to harness new value from pomegranate husks, and Enagon is working on upcycling the husks to transform them into new and nutritious ingredients.

    To date, The Wonderful Company and owners Stewart and Lynda Resnick have invested more than $1.3 billion in environmental sustainability initiatives to help fight climate change. This billion-dollar commitment includes the unprecedented $750 million gift from the Resnicks to Caltech in support of the school’s environmental sustainability research.

    In 2019, The Wonderful Company joined RE100, a global initiative made up of some of the world’s biggest companies, which have all committed to using 100% renewable energy. The POM solar farm joins solar installations at Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds facilities, JUSTIN Vineyards, and Wonderful Halos as a part of this journey toward a more sustainable future.

    For more information, and for the latest updates on POM Wonderful, please visit POMWonderful.com or @POMWonderful on Instagram.

    About POM Wonderful

    POM Wonderful is the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the United States as well as the worldwide leader in fresh California pomegranates and pomegranate-based products including our 100% pomegranate juices, healthy juice blends, and teas. We grow, handpick, and juice our own pomegranates to ensure the highest quality. POM Wonderful is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held company with a portfolio that includes other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful® Pistachios, FIJI® Water, Wonderful® Halos®, JUSTIN® wine, and Teleflora®. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com.

  • Are Autonomous Self-Driving Tractors Legal in California?

    As California’s agricultural industries progress towards a more sustainable future with new technologies and innovations, current Cal OSHA regulations (unless changed) may hinder their progress, particularly with regard to autonomous or self-driving tractors.  Watch this brief video with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he explains.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Monitoring Stem Water Potential in Citrus (Case Studies with StemSense)

    – SPONSORED CONTENT –

    Reliable and valid information about plant water status is a critical input variable for optimizing citrus orchard growth. Precisely managing citrus water stress during all phenological stages enables maximized production by: avoiding drought stress during flowering and fruit sets; achieving appropriate sugar levels; and maintaining fruit quality by, for example, avoiding peel creasing for example.

    Controlled water status can best be precisely achieved by monitoring the Stem-Water Potential (SWP) values regularly. After five successful years of experimentation and development, Saturas’ StemSenseTM sensors were installed in mature commercial citrus orchards around the world, and at the leading research phytotron in Israel. Saturas has a full library of commercial case studies and are available by request. This brief overview cites results from two: China and Spain

    China Layout

    Three Saturas StemSenseTM sensors were installed in an OR (Clementine) citrus orchard in the Hongjing farm, China. The StemSenseTM sensors were installed randomly in the orchard to represent the whole orchard status. The StemsenseTM sensors measured daily mid-day SWP values.

    Results and Conclusions

    Figure 1 illustrates seasonal values of Saturas StemSenseTM mid-day SWP values, daily ET0 and irrigation volume. Of note, is the positive and significant response to irrigation and changes in evapotranspiration. Note, for example, the rain stoppage from Aug 23th to Aug 30th, as reflected by the gradually increasing SWP values.

    Figure 1
    Figure 1 – Seasonal values of Saturas’ StemSenseTM Mid-Day SWP values, daily ET0 and irrigation volume.

    Spain Layout

    Five Saturas StemSenseTM sensors were installed in a lemon orchard in the Velcarda farm, Spain.
    The StemSenseTM sensors were installed randomly in the orchard to represent the whole orchard status. The StemSenseTM sensors measured daily mid-day SWP values.

    Results and Conclusions

    Figure 2 illustrates seasonal values of Saturas StemSenseTM mid-day SWP values, daily ET0 and irrigation volume. The Saturas StemSenseTM sensors showed a highly correlative response to irrigation and changes in evapotranspiration Note, for example, the increase in SWP values during late July- early Aug, the influence of the small irrigation on Aug 2nd, and the response of the trees to the regular irrigation started on Aug 13th.

    Figure 2
    Figure 2 – Seasonal values of Saturas’ StemSenseTM Mid-Day SWP values, daily ET0 and irrigation volume.

    Saturas StemSenseTM sensors showed a very rapid response to irrigation and a positive and significant correlation to manual pressure chamber measurements.

    Conclusions

    The StemSenseTM sensors, in these two case studies, demonstrated high measures of correlation to environmental stimuli such as ET, precipitation and irrigation while delivering reliable and valid SWP values over time. The commercial utility of StemSenseTM sensors is mutli-layered. The specific result of these studies demonstrates that the Saturas StemSenseTM sensors contribute reliable and valid information to the grower, critical for making good decisions for scheduling irrigation.
    In addition, the experimental and commerical aplications demonstrated a high correlation to manual pressure chamber measurements. Replicability of experimental outcomes has allowed Saturas to expand into the apple, avocado, cherry, almond, kiwi, vine markets.

    Avishai Avni-Maya PhD
    Chief agronomist
    Saturas Ltd
    972-50-7737778
    avishai@saturas-ag.com

  • NASA Funds Tiny Tomatoes for Vertical Farming on Earth and Space

    Urban agriculture offers many benefits for food production but often has higher costs relative to traditional farming and is limited to only a few crops. By 2050, there will be nine billion people on the planet, but arable land is decreasing. Global food production will need to double to meet food needs, though climate change complicates the problem more.

    Robert Jinkerson, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UC Riverside, is working to change this by engineering the size and nutritional value of tomato plants to increase both the diversity and value of crops that can be grown in urban controlled environment agriculture, or CEA.

    Jinkerson has received a $450,000 New Innovator grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, or FFAR, to advance this research. FFAR’s New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award provides early career scientists with funding to conduct audacious food and agriculture research.

    “Urban controlled environment agriculture can offer many benefits for the production of crops and is likely to supply more food in the future as worldwide food demand increases,” Jinkerson said.

    Often these urban CEA systems are designed to have plant growth areas stacked vertically to save space. However, this also decreases the height available for plant growth, limiting the size of crops that can be cultivated in vertical farms to small leafy greens.

    “In order to overcome these size limitations and to increase the variety of crops that can be grown in vertical farms, we are engineering tomato plants to have a small stature and are optimized for this unique growing environment,” said Jinkerson, who uses CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to modulate key genes involved in plant development and architecture.

    In addition to reducing the size of plants, this project will also increase the nutritional value of these crops by increasing their vitamin content, making urban agriculture more profitable.

    The potential applications for these tiny tomatoes don’t end on Earth.

    Jinkerson, along with Martha Orozco-Cárdenas, director of the UCR Plant Transformation Research Center, have been awarded a NASA Space Biology grant to evaluate tomatoes from their prior work on the International Space Station. These plants, also engineered with gene editing technology and dubbed Small Plants for Agriculture in Controlled Environments, or SPACE tomatoes, will be grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat onboard the ISS to determine how these plants grow in microgravity. The SPACE tomatoes will be grown ‘seed-to-seed,’ meaning seeds will be harvested and the next generation grown in space, completing an entire lifecycle. These experiments, which will happen after several years of trials on Earth, will help establish methodologies to grow food on long duration space missions.

    “We are extremely excited to receive support for these projects and hope that the results will help transform the way we produce food here on Earth and beyond,” said Jinkerson.

    About UC Riverside

    The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California’s diverse culture, UCR’s enrollment is more than 24,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of almost $2 billion. To learn more, email news@ucr.edu.

  • Western Growers Launches Global Harvest Automation Initiative

    Western Growers (WG) is spearheading a Global Harvest Automation Initiative (GHAI) to accelerate harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, with a goal of automating 50 percent of harvest within 10 years.

    “For well over a decade, our members have struggled with a dwindling number of available workers. If we don’t come together as an industry to quickly and efficiently deliver automation solutions for farmers in this country, it is likely that the shift of fresh produce operations to other countries will dramatically increase,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. “The Global Harvest Automation Initiative is aimed directly at this challenge, and the alignment of so many industry leaders and partners in this endeavor is a strong indicator of our shared commitment to success.”

    The global initiative is comprised of several key projects uniquely designed to solve the ag industry’s labor woes while simultaneously helping harvest automation start-up companies commercialize and scale at a more rapid pace:

    Technology Stack: A documented set of technical interfaces that will help startups leverage industry-standard components so their robots can get into fields and markets faster.

    • Harvest Automation Cohort: A cohort of automation startups will be selected based on industry input to receive exclusive access to systems integration to help integrate the tech stack into their product roadmap, strategy for go-to-market support, field trials and case studies.
    • Impact Report: A comprehensive analysis on the impact of harvest automation on the specialty crop industry will be provided annually based on grower metrics.
    • Harvest Automation Traction Roadmap: A list of current harvest automation startups by crop type and in-market progress/traction will be distributed regularly.The technology stack will be built by a team of subject matter experts(SMEs) in ag and robotics:
    • precision ag companies (Trimble, Bosch)
    • original equipment manufacturers and platform companies (Ramsay Highlander, Oxbow and SPUDNIK)
    • AgTech engineering companies (Milano Technical Group, All-Phase Agricultural Engineering, Red Rooster Engineering and NWFM LLC)
    • WG members that are among the world’s largest and best farming operators at adopting new technologies (Grimmway Farms, Turlock Fruit Company, Church Brothers Farms, Superfresh Growers and Illume Agriculture)The SME group will build a set of documented interfaces so startups can connect to tractor manufacturers like John Deere, sensor manufacturers like Bosch, navigation equipment providers like Trimble, and other manufacturing partners.The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) has been a key partner for WG in supporting the GHAI by providing recommendations for SMEs and harvest startups with traction based on WTFRC’s 52 years of experience with tree fruit innovation. In addition, WTFRC has committed $200,000 in funding over three years to support the overall GHAI initiative.

      “The specialty crop industry needs to all work together to solve harvest automation by strategically accelerating the speed of innovation and adoption,” said Dr. Ines Hanrahan, executive director for WTFRC. “The platform approach Western Growers is taking is supported by both startups and industry as the best path forward to finally achieve this goal.”

      WG held a hybrid in-person and virtual event on February 11, 2021, in Tulare, Calif., to announce the official launch of the Global Harvest Automation Initiative. Resources and detailed information about the GHAI can be found on the WG Center for Innovation & Technology webpage here.

      About Western Growers:

      Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide over half of the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce. Some members also farm throughout the U.S. and in other countries so people have year-round access to nutritious food. For generations, we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.

  • Western Growers Launches Global Harvest Automation Initiative

    Western Growers (WG) is spearheading a Global Harvest Automation Initiative (GHAI) to accelerate harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, with a goal of automating 50 percent of harvest within 10 years.

    “For well over a decade, our members have struggled with a dwindling number of available workers. If we don’t come together as an industry to quickly and efficiently deliver automation solutions for farmers in this country, it is likely that the shift of fresh produce operations to other countries will dramatically increase,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. “The Global Harvest Automation Initiative is aimed directly at this challenge, and the alignment of so many industry leaders and partners in this endeavor is a strong indicator of our shared commitment to success.”

    The global initiative is comprised of several key projects uniquely designed to solve the ag industry’s labor woes while simultaneously helping harvest automation start-up companies commercialize and scale at a more rapid pace:

    Technology Stack: A documented set of technical interfaces that will help startups leverage industry-standard components so their robots can get into fields and markets faster.

    • Harvest Automation Cohort: A cohort of automation startups will be selected based on industry input to receive exclusive access to systems integration to help integrate the tech stack into their product roadmap, strategy for go-to-market support, field trials and case studies.
    • Impact Report: A comprehensive analysis on the impact of harvest automation on the specialty crop industry will be provided annually based on grower metrics.
    • Harvest Automation Traction Roadmap: A list of current harvest automation startups by crop type and in-market progress/traction will be distributed regularly.The technology stack will be built by a team of subject matter experts(SMEs) in ag and robotics:
    • precision ag companies (Trimble, Bosch)
    • original equipment manufacturers and platform companies (Ramsay Highlander, Oxbow and SPUDNIK)
    • AgTech engineering companies (Milano Technical Group, All-Phase Agricultural Engineering, Red Rooster Engineering and NWFM LLC)
    • WG members that are among the world’s largest and best farming operators at adopting new technologies (Grimmway Farms, Turlock Fruit Company, Church Brothers Farms, Superfresh Growers and Illume Agriculture)The SME group will build a set of documented interfaces so startups can connect to tractor manufacturers like John Deere, sensor manufacturers like Bosch, navigation equipment providers like Trimble, and other manufacturing partners.

      The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) has been a key partner for WG in supporting the GHAI by providing recommendations for SMEs and harvest startups with traction based on WTFRC’s 52 years of experience with tree fruit innovation. In addition, WTFRC has committed $200,000 in funding over three years to support the overall GHAI initiative.

      “The specialty crop industry needs to all work together to solve harvest automation by strategically accelerating the speed of innovation and adoption,” said Dr. Ines Hanrahan, executive director for WTFRC. “The platform approach Western Growers is taking is supported by both startups and industry as the best path forward to finally achieve this goal.”

      WG held a hybrid in-person and virtual event on February 11, 2021, in Tulare, Calif., to announce the official launch of the Global Harvest Automation Initiative. Resources and detailed information about the GHAI can be found on the WG Center for Innovation & Technology webpage here.

      About Western Growers:

      Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide over half of the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce. Some members also farm throughout the U.S. and in other countries so people have year-round access to nutritious food. For generations, we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.