Grower Innovation
California’s sustainability and innovation are at the root of its citrus industry. “We’re the industry that put the first research station together with the University of California almost 100 years ago,” cites Nelsen. “We were the first to utilize beneficial insects and the first to adopt low volume irrigation. Today, growers are out there with iPads and apps that relate frost conditions, irrigation needs, and insect pressures.”
“We’ve never waited until consumers demanded sustainability,” emphasizes Mulholland. “We’ve employed solar energy, micro-irrigation, and recyclable packaging. There is no waste at packing point: if the fruit is not first grade, it goes to juice, food banks, and cattle feed.”
As for technological breakthroughs, “We’re seeing a boom of technology touching the agriculture industry; those who aren’t quick adapters will be left behind,” warns Mulholland.
Wickham sums it up this way: “Citrus farming hasn’t changed all that much. There have certainly been improvements, but nothing speaks to sustainability more than one family farming the same land for generations.”
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