Sep 10, 2024

Editor’s letter: Working for postharvest solutions

Welcome to our postharvest issue. With harvest over or ending for many growers, Fruit Growers News examines steps taken following harvest.

A potential market for growers’ postharvest waste will be explored through a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources project that works to transform farm waste to fuel.

In California’s Northern San Joaquin Valley, crop leftovers including almond shells, fruit peels and orchard trimmings can potentially be converted into sustainable bioproducts and biofuels with the right technology. In circular biomanufacturing, waste streams including grape pomace, forest waste or food processing — and likely vegetable field culls — can be changed to raw materials to create new products.

A feedstocks group that supports replacing fossil feedstocks with renewable biomass sources awarded $47 million over five years to a group including UCANR, USDA, the Almond Board of California and the Department of Energy to study how to make better use of the region’s diverse agricultural waste.

Part of the project is to build a database and map that displays information about the raw plant materials and biomass that can be broken down and used to make bioproducts, including where feedstocks are located, availability, performance, disposal, their greenhouse gas footprint and potential cost.

Controlled atmosphere clinic

In another effort, a Michigan State University summer controlled atmosphere storage clinic brought postharvest physiology experts from across North America to focus on apple storage disorders. Read more about what the event discovered.

Special section: Organic Grower 

Be sure to read the Organic Grower section, which focuses on ensuring organic integrity throughout the supply chain.

Fresh Views: Leveraging social media

To show how growers can effectively deploy social media to promote their farms and farm stores, Rebekah Alstede Modery of New Jersey’s Alstede Farms writes in our monthly 40 Under Forty Fresh Views column. She discusses how the farm’s proximity to New York City allows it to market to a clientele far outside the farm’s direct community. Read the article to learn more about her success.

By Doug Ohlemeier