Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1170186
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S HARVEST DUST 4 Grower Trials, ABC-funded Research Inform Feasibility of Off-ground Harvesting The widespread adoption of off-ground harvesting for almonds may be years away, but for growers Brian Wahlbrink and Wes Sperry, the future is now. In fact, one might describe the Denair-based growers as the earliest of early adopters — monikers they seem comfortable embracing. "My brother-in-law and I agree that it's time to do it," said Wahlbrink, who farms more than 1,200 acres of almonds on three family-owned ranches in Stanislaus and Merced counties. "We have 1.1 million acres of producing almonds in the state and there's more acreage on the way. We can't harvest the way we've been harvesting for the past 30 years." Wahlbrink isn't cavalier about the tall order of transitioning the time-tested shake, sweep and pick-up routine used to harvest California's top crop. For the nearly 7,600 almond farmers spanning more than 400 miles of the Golden State's most fertile farm ground, he knows the success of new technology adoption depends on that technology's economic feasibility, supported by verifiable in-orchard, research-backed results. "We need a group of growers who can prove that off-ground harvesting can work," Wahlbrink said. "We're not looking for a full departure of current harvesting techniques. We do think there's a bridge idea, where we can catch the nuts, redirect them, condition them and still dry them in the field, which could lead to the elimination of sweeping. Still, we know the road to our destination of improved harvesting practices is not a straight one." These motivated growers intend to be among the first industry leaders to prove the practicality of off-ground harvesting, and they've already begun a multi-year journey to test the process on 265 acres spread across two of the family ranches. Their plan is to use a modified shaker fitted with a catch frame, which will prevent almonds from reaching the ground. Some of those almonds will then be transferred to a truck for hauling to an off-site processing facility where multiple drying techniques will be tested to assess effectiveness and the impact to kernel quality. After thoughtful consideration, Wahlbrink and Sperry decided to start their trial on a 130-acre block of Independence ® trees on the family's ranch in Snelling. "This block contains the earliest trees ready to harvest this season, which is right around the first or second week of August for us," Wahlbrink said. He also noted this will be the first harvest for the 3-year-old trees, another positive consideration for starting their off-ground harvest trial on this block. "Most growers know that the first couple of years of harvesting new trees comes with challenges," Wahlbrink said. "There could still be ripper marks from planting and the ground may not be fully prepared for almonds hitting it. We have a lot of rock out there, so we're trying to keep that out of the pick-up pile, too. The primary factor for us is the size of the tree. It's smaller, making it much easier to wrap around and catch the product versus a 25-foot tree where almonds are flying 30 or 40 feet in all directions." Wahlbrink sees many positive benefits to off-ground harvesting, ranging from the most noticeable of reduced harvest dust to that of improved tree health and better pest and water management. "If we could just catch and redirect them to the field on tarps so they don't ever touch the ground, we eliminate six passes on the sweeper. That's the dust! We end up with a cleaner product, we don't blow mites into the trees, we reduce the use of herbicides since the orchard floor doesn't need as much preparation and we're able to get water back on the trees sooner," Wahlbrink said. In addition to the environmental and operational benefits Wahlbrink foresees, he notes the economics pencil out. "It's about the labor," he said. "Everyone's about speed of harvest — how fast you can get through the orchard. When you take the net time through the field with shaking, sweeping, conditioning and harvesting, that's a pretty long time, per row. You could have an off-ground harvester going pretty slow through the ranch, but your net time compared to all your equipment running through the field is still positive." However, Wahlbrink's positive outlook on the viability of off-ground harvesting isn't seen through rose-colored glasses. Brain Wahlbrink on his ranch in Waterford, California, where he is testing off-ground harvesting this harvest season. Continue on page 5 "If we could just catch and redirect them to the field on tarps so they don't ever touch the ground, we eliminate six passes on the sweeper. That's the dust!" – Brian Wahlbrink