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Promoting Peach Planting
California peach growers can apply for grants to replant parts of their orchard using sustainable practices.
Peach growers, or growers considering moving to peaches, now have an incentive to replant part of their acreage that is to be used for peach production.
Protected Harvest, a Sacramento-based non-profit organization that independently certifies farmers’ use of stringent environmental growing standards, recently was awarded a $1 million USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant. The money will be used to fund a Tree Fruit Orchard Renewal program aimed at eventually replacing up to 35,000 acres of older, less efficient stone fruit orchards and updating them with more advanced and environmentally sound production systems.
According to Andrea Caroe, certification director for Protected Harvest, the organization worked closely with the California Tree Fruit Agreement in coordinating the grant. Both groups emphasized their commitment to encouraging California peach growers to move toward sustainable growing practices.
In The Details
The program involves three phases, with growers receiving $300 at the completion of each phase, says Caroe. The first phase is pulling out the old block, chipping the trees that are removed, and distributing them throughout the block (they cannot be burned). It is also during this phase when the grower will map out any disease and insect problems in the block.
The second phase involves regeneration, in which the grower plants a cover crop for two seasons in order to break the nematode cycle. The third phase is the actual replanting of the orchard. During this phase, the grower must also install a microirrigation system that can adequately provide water and nutrients to the new trees.
During the three-phase process, a representative from Protected Harvest will visit the site to verify the progress of the project. The grower must also send documentation to confirm they have completed each phase.
Applications must go directly through the Protected Harvest office (e-mails can be sent to Caroe at andrea@protectedharvest.org). The grower must indicate a contact person, as well as which fields will be replanted. Each grower must submit a minimum of 10 acres, or a maximum of 48 acres (this allows smaller growers to be able to apply for funding).
Applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, although priority is given to growers replacing peaches with more peaches (followed by replacing any stone fruit with peaches, and replacing another type of crop with peaches). The application process began in December 2004, and Protected Harvest is working closely with anyone who applies to make sure they qualify.
Back to the CROP page.
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