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A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S HARVEST DUST in the center of the row to the split on the branches. "A three-foot-tall trunk is significantly taller than what most growers are planting," Smith said. "However, if the trees were planted on a berm or raised bed, then the Tenias Harvester might already be an option. A grower's initial pruning at the time of planting will also effect trunk height, and we're starting to see taller-trunked trees just because of the way the stock comes out of the nursery." In addition to the labor- and dust-saving benefits Trinitas Farming experienced with the machine, Smith sees other potential food safety and environmental benefits since nuts never touch the ground. This could translate to a reduced spread of bacteria-carrying dust in the orchard as well as less orchard floor preparation prior to harvest, potentially reducing herbicide sprays. Smith and ABC's Saa also agree on the potential for reducing damage caused by a persistent and serious almond pest – Navel Orangeworm (NOW). "With off-ground harvesting, there's a higher probability for reduced Navel Orangeworm damage because the fruit is no longer drying in the orchard, eliminating NOW's opportunity to feed on the kernels," Saa said. Smith also notes that winter sanitation using a catch-frame harvester delivers additional cost savings since mummy nuts are removed from the field, eliminating or reducing the need for sweeping and mowing in the winter. How you can put a dent in dust today While research continues to ascertain the prospects and barriers of off-ground harvesting, the Harvest Workgroup remains committed to evaluating and recommending practices growers can implement today to reduce visible harvest dust. These practices include beginning harvest with a clean, level orchard floor and setting sweeper heads to an optimum level. 2 Growers also have access to incentive funding to purchase "low-dust" harvesters that demonstrate at least a 30% reduction in visible dust over conventional harvesters. "At a recent Harvest Workgroup meeting, the group reviewed the industry's 50% harvest dust reduction goal, along with best management practices that growers can implement today," Saa said. "The group decided to add 19 new questions to the California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) Air Quality module, which will allow us to measure industry progress towards the 2025 Goal of dust reduction by tracking improvement on certain practices." For the dust reduction goal, ABC will assess industry-wide adoption of new low-dust equipment and improved harvest techniques to determine how these practices impact levels of visible dust. Through data derived from CASP's Air Quality module, grower-reported adoption of newer technologies and practices should result in a drop in visible dust. In addition to demonstrating industry progress toward its goal, this module – and the other eight CASP modules – allows growers to identify areas of improvement across their operations by providing details on best practices and advancement opportunities. Interested in attending an upcoming Harvest Workgroup meeting? Visit Almonds.com/Events for more information. "We were looking to improve harvesting in orchards with challenging floor conditions and find solutions for dust reduction while reducing passes through orchards during harvest time." — Danny Ramos Research Beyond Harvesting With significant progress made to grow the science of off-ground harvesting and alternate drying methods comes additional research. "There's no question that moving to off-ground harvesting will necessitate the selection of rootstocks that limit tree size," Saa said. "We haven't looked at many size-controlled rootstocks in our industry simply because we haven't considered off-ground harvesting before. Finding rootstocks that are more efficient and compatible with off-ground harvesting is now part of ABC's research portfolio." Saa recognizes that there's still a lot to be learned, which may include some surprises along the way. "We may find that we can increase our yield potential per acre across the industry. We're also evaluating the impact of tree health related to off-ground harvesting. With nuts leaving the orchard after shaking, growers can get water back on their trees much faster than they can under today's conventional harvesting system, providing them with more flexibility for irrigation management post-harvest," Saa said. 2 For more tips on reducing dust at harvest, visit Almonds.com/HarvestDust. Almond Board of California 10