A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Trees & Vines ®
In looking at alternative ways to harvest almonds, University of California specialists say they have identified three potential methods that could provide cost savings and other benefits to farmers who employ them. Specialists evaluate off-ground almond harvesting
ByDennis Pollock Alternative harvesting techniques that keep almonds off the orchard floor also may reduce hull rot and help farmers fight navel orangewormdamage, according to speakers at anAlmondBoard of California program. The speakers talkedof thebenefits, challenges andcosts of trucking in-hull almonds to bemechanicallydried. Thereappeared tobea consensus that almondsharvestedmostly via off-ground practices showed no negative impact on kernel quality. Thevirtualworkshopopenedwithadiscussionof theeconomicsof alternativeharvest- ing by Chris Simmons of theUniversity of California, Davis, Department of Food Science and Technology. He compared costs of alternativemethodswith conventional harvest techniques, which involvemechanicalshakingof trees,blowingandsweepingofnutsintowindrowsandpickup. One alternative would be mechanically shaking and catching almonds, then placing themon the orchard floor to passively dry. Another would be to shake, catch and transfer the almonds to a dedicateddrying lot adjacent to the orchard. A third ismechanical shake andcatch, followedby transfer toa third-party facilitysuchasahuller-sheller thathasdrying capacityonsite. Simmonssaidall threealternativeshavethedesirableeconomic impactofavoidingblow- ingandsweeping;pickingupthealmondswouldbeavoidedintwoof thescenarios, aswell. “By avoiding the need tohave almonds on the floor of the orchard in certain scenarios,
we are also potentially adjusting the cultural practices in the orchard, decreasing the amount of pest control needed,” Simmons said. “Less pest control, less stringent weed control, no ant control needed, and so that would be a predicted benefit to the grower in terms of inflating profit per acre.” On the downside, because there are not blowing and sweeping steps, there are losses due towindfall,whichmaybeaffectedbydifferences invariety, the regionand theharvest schedule, he said. Thenthereare thecurrentunknownsonthecapital costs for shake-and-catchharvesters and the costs tomaintain and repair them. Simmons said there is a small cost benefit to putting almonds on the orchard floor, but the need to stabilize the soil in the orchard puts a large dent in profitability. There arepredictedbenefits tohavingdrying lots, he said. Thebenefitswouldbe great- er if a farmer can carve out marginal land for the drying lot, but if the farmer has to lease new land, that would increase costs and reduce profitability. Farmerswould also need to consider viability of their yield as it relates to lot sizes. With the third scenario, Simmons said, there is an increased cost to hauling almonds that havenot beendried. Ifmoisture isabove24%, hesaid, thecost forhaulingwouldoffset all the cost reductions on the pest-management side and from the decreased blowing, sweeping and pickup. See HARVEST, Page 8
April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 7
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