September 15, 2004 (Sacramento, CA)

Both the environment and California’s tree fruit industry will benefit from a $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service to Protected Harvest, a non profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

Protected Harvest received word today from the United States Department of Agriculture that they have been awarded funds to help implement a “Tree Fruit Orchard Renewal Project”, which aims to eventually replace 35,000 acres of existing older peach, plum and nectarine orchards updating them with the more advanced and environmentally-sound farming systems currently being adopted throughout the tree fruit industry. The goal of the program is take some of the state’s older, less efficient orchards and incorporate newer farming methods to improve soil conditions through the use of cover crops and fallowing of land, significantly reduce water usage through the installation of drip irrigation systems and incorporate Integrated Pest Management practices to further minimize the use of high-risk pesticides.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to show that a public-private partnership in environmental stewardship can result in good farm economics,” said Carolyn Brickey, executive director of Sacramento-based Protected Harvest. “Very tough economic times in recent years have limited the industry’s ability to update some older orchards with these improved innovations. This grant will help cover some of the transition costs involved in moving to these techniques and to reduce economic repercussions which occur when orchards are taken out of production for a period of several years.”

Brickey went on to explain that the $1 million in government funding will come over a period of four years and will supplement the capital investment incurred by individual farmers, which are estimated at an additional $4 million. The overall goal is for the industry to achieve full conversion to the most technologically advanced farming techniques for all 112,000 acres of fresh peach, plum and nectarine farmed in the state.

Protected Harvest, a non-profit organization with a high quality track record for rigorous standards development and certification services in the area of low-input farming practices, will work with farmers to make sure proper practices are implemented and to help market fruit under a voluntary eco-labeling program.

“We are very pleased to be working in association with Protected Harvest in getting all of California stone fruit acreage to move to these advanced sustainable farming practices,” said Blair Richardson, president of the California Tree Fruit Agreement, an organization which administers marketing programs on behalf of all California tree fruit growers and a cooperator in the newly awarded grant. “Our industry has been faced with some difficult financial hardships in recent years with very low wholesale fruit prices. We appreciate the government’s recognition that some of our growers need help in making these important changes to further protect the environment.”

The specific grant awarded to the Protected Harvest comes from a program known as Conservation Innovation Grants and is part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This was one of 41 grants awarded to various organizations in 29 states. Total grant funding allocated was $14.25 million.

ABOUT PROTECTED HARVEST:

Protected Harvest was established in 2001 as an independent non-profit certification organization, with the principal mission of advancing and certifying the use of sustainable agriculture practices through the development of stringent, transparent, and quantifiable standards. These practices have been evaluated by at least three separate groups of nationally recognized scientists and environmentalists, and include methods that preserve habitat, lower the use of pesticides, and reduce farmer’s impact on the land.

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