Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1286027
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S ZERO WASTE Almond Board of California 12 confirmed the co-op's ability to achieve net carbon negative status based on its Phase II plans. Central to Phase II is the construction of two net energy metering power plants on-site, which will be fueled by almond shells and woody biomass entering the facility. Ryan also envisions sourcing old trees for fuel from member-owners' orchards when they are pushed at the end of their productive life, offering growers an alternative to push-and-burn tree disposal and acting as a complement to Whole Orchard Recycling. "Prior to our Phase II plans, most of our shells were going to a biomass plant in Medford, Oregon because cogeneration plants in California aren't taking them," Ryan said. "For us it seemed to make sense to burn almond shells in a biochar retort. Almond shell happens to be a really nice, fine feedstock for biochar retort." "We were just paying to have shells and huller trash hauled off to whatever outlet wanted it," Crowley said. "With an onsite cogeneration plant that processes that material, we save hauling costs, and it has the potential to fully offset our electrical cost for the huller/sheller, supply heat to fuel our dryers, and return excess power to the grid. It's a much smaller cogeneration plant than has been built in past, but it does the same thing for this facility. It's an exciting concept!" Ryan noted that North State Hulling will start building its first net energy metering power plant the day after this year's harvest. Once the power plants are operational, the co-op's carbon footprint will be so small – actually net negative – that it will more than offset the carbon emissions from all its member-owners' on-farm production practices. That means growers who bring their product to North State Hulling will then be delivering their handlers almonds with a net-negative carbon footprint, a significant value-added product in a marketplace with growing demand for sustainably grown foods. "Achieving carbon negativity creates a story for almonds in the marketplace," Crowley said. "The world is changing; consumers are changing their wants, needs and desires. Growers can and must change, too. Period. We can either be forced into that change through regulation or be ahead of the curve. At North State Hulling, we're taking the bull by the horns to be intentional with our change." So many ambitious changes in a short period of time might give pause to those who are risk averse, which Ryan noted includes himself. Still, he said thoughtful consideration was given every step of the way. "Everything we are doing here makes sense financially," he said. "I believe we – North State Hulling and the industry as a whole – need to push the envelope a bit and make something happen to solve the many industry issues we face. Our full- scale demonstration project is founded on more than two years of research, and while not perfect, will be a large step in the right direction. We can all learn from it." The Future of Hulling and Shelling "We talk a lot about the farm of the future in the industry, but we're also thinking about the huller/sheller of the future here [at North State Hulling]." — Rory Crowley