Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1218525
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S HARVEST DUST 3 According to the California Air Resources Board and based on ABC-funded research, an estimated 75% of the dust generated during harvest occurs during the pickup stage. To Avoid Getting Lost in the Dust, Improve We Must "If you don't look out into the future, you'll get lost in the dust of yesterday." Thus was the challenge put forth by Almond Board of California (ABC) Chair Holly A. King to the California almond industry at The Almond Conference 2019. While her comment was made regarding the importance of industry advancement in several areas, it is especially relevant to the topic of reducing harvest dust within the California almond industry, one of the industry's Almond Orchard 2025 Goals. And really, who wants to get left in the dust? Dust is the most obvious side effect of almond harvest, and in addition to impacting the quality of life in the Central Valley, it can also have a negative impact on the quality of almond hulls, shells and the nuts themselves. For those and other reasons, in 2018 the California almond industry committed to reducing dust generated during harvest by 50% by 2025. Cutting harvest dust levels in half is an ambitious goal, one that will require short- and long-term steps to achieve. Fortunately, many growers already have made important strides to reduce dust by transitioning to low-dust harvesting equipment and modifying their harvest techniques. "We want growers to be aware of dust's reach — how it impacts their family and neighbors, pest management practices, and the importance of orchard floor preparation," said Jesse Roseman, ABC's principal analyst in Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. "Now more than ever it's important that the industry continue pursuing solutions in this area, especially as regulatory eyes are also watching." Reducing the suspense around dust At the 2019 conference, ABC presented the metrics the industry will use to measure progress toward this goal: The Almond Board will assess industry-wide adoption of new low-dust equipment and improved harvest techniques to determine how these practices impact levels of total suspended dust particles (TSP) per acre. Through data derived from the California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) Air Quality module, grower-reported adoption of newer technologies and practices should result in a drop in total TSP, equating to a reduction in dust levels and demonstrating progress toward meeting this 2025 Goal. In addition to self-reporting practices, CASP modules — such as the Air Quality module — allow growers to identify areas of improvement across their operations by providing details on best practices and advancement opportunities. Join the journey toward reduced harvest dust Of the dust generated during harvest, an estimated 75% occurs during the pickup stage, according to the California Air Resources Board, based on ABC-funded research. That is in large part because sweeper brushes bring both almonds and dust into the windrows, dust that is kicked up during pickup, explains Josette Lewis, chief scientific officer at ABC. Reducing the amount of dust swept into the windrows, therefore, will reduce dust during pickup. How can the industry combat this dilemma? One answer lies in the number of passes made with the sweeper. "The idea is to reduce the number of passes to reduce dust. And, using a mounted berm brush has been shown to effectively collect nuts between trees, meaning growers could further reduce the number of passes required," said Roseman. An update in the Air Quality module allows growers to report the number of passes they make so that the industry as a whole can track its progress in this area. The updated module also reminds growers that they may be able to reduce passes without losing nuts. Conditioning nuts — removing sticks, rocks and other loose impediments from