CarrotCountry.com Spring 2021
J&S Farms:
To the Max
Metam Movement Crop Inputs Essentials Lessons From COVID-19
Magazines For Maximum Yield
PO Box 333 Roberts, Idaho 83444 Telephone: (208) 520-6461
www.carrotcountry.com Carrot Country Contacts Editor Denise Keller
editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com
Publisher / Advertising Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Director of Operations Brian Feist brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com
EDITORIAL INFORMATION Carrot Country is interested in newsworthy material related to carrot production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com, or call (509) 697-9436.
ADVERTISING SALES For information on rates, mechanics, deadlines, list rental, direct mail, inserts or other information, call (208) 520-6461 or email: dave@carrotcountry.com
Vol. 29, No. 1
Spring 2021
In This Issue:
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6 8
To the Max
J&S Farms Inc.
Lessons From COVID-19
The Good, the Bad and the Opportunities
Crop Inputs Essentials
Buyers’ Guide
10 H2O: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Recycling Water in Carrot Pack Houses
12 Metam Movement
40,000 Soil Readings, Five Takeaway Insights
SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S................... 1 year $16 Canada ............ 1 year $24 Foreign ............ 1 year $40 Payments may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Subscribe online at: www.carrotcountry.com or call (503) 724-3581. Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or mail to: Carrot Country PO Box 333 Roberts, ID 83444
Carrot Country magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published quarterly and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices. Produced by Columbia Media Group PO Box 333, Roberts, ID, 83444. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group. For information on reprints call (208) 520-6461.
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Some changes brought about by COVID-19 will likely become permanent. See what this means for the retail food industry on page 6.
On the Cover: Eric Jemmett with J&S Farms grows carrot seed in southwest Idaho for Nunhems. See the story on page 4.
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To the
Max
Eric Jemmett inspects a carrot seed field in Parma, Idaho. Two miles of isolation between plots spreads his seed fields across the towns of Huston, Wilder, Parma and Notus, Idaho.
W
henever possible, Eric Jemmett and his partners with J&S Farms Inc. in Parma, Idaho, take things “to the max.” He looks to maximize production methods, yields and profits and has found a unique way to add to the farm’s bottom line. In addition to growing several different crops including 120 acres of carrot seed last year, Jemmett is also a trained and operating contract researcher.
The next spring, the crop will bolt and senescence and start producing flowers. The root-to-seed crop is planted in March or April. Each root is planted by hand in a machine-dug trench. Harvest is around mid-September of the same year. Jemmett says it is always a problem finding enough labor to do the hand planting.
in 2020. Many people tested positive for the virus during the summer, but the farm was able to maintain a safe working environment, Jemmett says. The farm has turned to the H-2A program, which has brought much needed stability to the workforce. These workers are more dependable and consistently do a good job, the grower says.
Maximizing Carrot Seed
Maximum Challenges
Finding enough labor is an issue Jemmett shares with most growers. Luckily, the farm has a small but stable crew every year, many of the workers now in their 60s and 70s. Hiring local younger seasonal workers is not working out well, though. “We’re not difficult to work for, but these people did not want to work. They didn’t fulfill their work contract. They had to be let go,” Jemmett says. During harvest, J&S Farms uses a “one-for-all, all-for-one” approach. Eric’s brothers Michael and Brian and his cousin Jarom are co-owners of the farm and all pitch in. COVID-19 wrecked work schedules
Maximizing Resources
Grown on a Nunhems contract, J&S Farms’ carrot seed crop is produced with two miles of isolation between plots. The need for isolation means the Jemmetts have to spread out their operation. Last year, they had seed plots in several spots, making their operation a 30-minute drive end to end. The farm produces seed by two methods: seed-to-seed and root-to-seed. The seed-to-seed crop is planted in August and harvested 13 months later. Planning is done in July so that Jemmett knows how many acres to set aside for August planting. The carrots only grow to about 0.5 inch in diameter before winter. 4
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“Raising carrot seed takes experience and attention to detail,” Jemmett says. One of the things he has learned is that drip irrigation on carrot seed provides higher quality and less disease. Two rows of carrots are allotted for each drip tape. But using drip tape presents its own challenges. To keep the tape from getting clogged, the Jemmetts designed their own portable irrigation systems. Built by Clearwater Supply, the portable systems use a pump that brings dirty canal water into tanks that then runs through a mixture of sand and gravel, filtering large particles. The water is filtered again, down to 200 microns, yielding clean water for the drip tape. The pump systems feature
computerized backflow prevention to clean out filters and are capable of chemical injection. Though vital to a healthy crop, Jemmett says the drip system costs about $500 per acre to install and maintain. “The only money it’s going to bring you is if you reduce the amount of disease,” he says. It’s diseases like powdery mildew and Rhizoctonia that are hard for Jemmett to control. Every year, bees are brought in to pollinate the seed crop. Beekeepers do not want insecticides or fungicides applied until after pollination when the bees are removed. “By the time we pull the bees out, we’re already at a negative point and trying to play catch up on the diseases and the insects,” Jemmett says.
Maximizing Profit
Jemmett has always been interested in research. While working toward his ag science and technology degree at Brigham Young University-Idaho, he got to know researchers and studied research techniques. Even before he finished his master’s degree at the University of Idaho, he realized that contract research could be incorporated in the farm. “We had the ground and many crops, and I thought this will work well in conjunction with our farm,” he recalls. He saw that universities were being overrun with research requests and recognized that they only have limited space for trials. In addition, chemical
This plant’s resources going to seed production leaves a pretty gnarly root.
companies often have new products with unknown efficacy that they may not yet want to include in published trials. With this knowledge in hand, he created Jemmett Consulting and Research, which he also manages. The contract research has allowed J&S to use the farm’s existing acreage to make more money per acre. Jemmett says it takes a while to get established, though, because trust must be earned from potential clients. He does crop research on a majority of the crops grown in the Treasure Valley, including carrots, onions, potatoes, wheat, dry beans, corn,
Movable pumps and filters custom-designed by J&S Farms and built by Clearwater Irrigation take water out of canals.
sugar beets, hay, mint and hops, for many agriculture companies including Gowan, Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva. Trial plots are set into production fields, giving Jemmett a research niche and realworld results, which his clients appreciate. This unique approach allows J&S Farms to maximize profits.
Carrot seed grown at J&S Farms goes to Nunhems in Parma, Idaho, for processing.
CarrotCountry.com
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LESSONS FROM COVID-19: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE OPPORTUNITIES By Michael Sansolo, Retail Food Industry Consultant
F
ollowing the craziness of 2020, the entire food industry faces both a specific challenge and opportunity as prominent as ever: determine what shoppers want and, as a follow up, find out how to best satisfy those needs. Certainly, 2020, thanks to the COVID-19 crisis, has created an unusual environment that casts this perennial issue in a new light. In 2020 (and certainly into 2021), shoppers’ needs have focused on finding enough supplies to survive mandated lockdowns and then finding solutions and ideas for mealtime in an environment where restaurant eating has become near impossible. Against this backdrop, the entire food industry is presented and confronted with opportunities and challenges both new and old. The unique concerns of this very strange year include ensuring that supply chains manage to stay functional despite incredibly unexpected shortages in everything from toilet tissue to even coins for change. While the industry has been – and continues to be – hard pressed to meet all those challenges, the results, nearly a year into the crisis, have been largely encouraging. Food stores of all types remained largely in stock of all items, and retail
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workers rose to the challenge of keeping stores open and serving customers. More visible than usual to shoppers has been the incredible efforts undertaken to keep all elements of the supply chain functioning from farms to transportation to product manufacturing and on to distribution centers. In countless ways, the industry has demonstrated its ability to survive an unthinkably difficult time and to merit its status as an essential industry. Given the near complete collapse of the foodservice industry, it’s hardly surprising that food retail sales have boomed, with many companies posting levels of sales growth unseen in decades. But even in the face of that growth, other consumer challenges, wants and desires are changing, and savvy companies must keep an eye on these issues to best thrive once the health crisis passes. For example, online shopping for food has blossomed faster than anyone expected, likely altering the very nature of food shopping into the future. And the economic hangover of the prolonged shutdown of much of the economy creates a new set of challenges, as large portions of the population are likely to focus on budget issues in 2021 and beyond. What makes these challenges more prominent than usual is that millennials and Gen Z, two young and incredibly large demographic groups, are coming of age while this is happening. That means their shopping, cooking and eating habits are forming in circumstances that might lead
them to be even more focused on lowprice operators and electronic commerce convenience for decades to come. The opportunity and challenge is clear to the food industry, including commodity groups. For the first time in possibly 50 years, Americans are returning to home cooking and eating, so the industry has a rare opportunity to help these shoppers with recipes, product tips, nutritional benefits and more. Done properly – and with cooperation throughout the supply chain – this could lead to long-term gains in food retail sales. However, this requires new thinking and better levels of cooperation and consumer education than we’ve seen in years. Minus that, a once-in-a-generation opportunity could be missed. In addition, agricultural groups growing carrots, onions, potatoes and other products need to consider how to pivot production away from the decimated restaurant industry and toward food retail, a daunting, but essential, task on its own. There is no way of knowing today when the COVID crisis will deepen or, hopefully, end, but just as in other tumultuous times, some changes brought about will likely become permanent. Shoppers’ desires are always shifting, and the entire food industry must constantly adapt to them or risk losing opportunity and more. Editor’s note: Michael Sansolo is a retail food industry consultant, speaker and author. For more information, visit www.michaelsansolo.com.
CarrotCountry.com
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Crop Inputs Essentials AgroLiquid Access
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Access is a liquid sulfur fertilizer designed to provide plants with essential sulfur and other vital nutrients. A carefully calibrated combination of nutrients allows plants to effectively absorb sulfur. The product uses Flavonol Polymer Technology to deliver nitrogen, sulfur, iron, manganese and zinc in a plant-usable form. This allows the plant to access a sustained supply of nutrients and prevents nutrients from being tied in the soil. With a variety of delivery options, Access can be used wherever sulfur deficiencies have been shown or in a comprehensive secondary nutrient program. It works to correct or prevent sulfur deficiency, stunted growth and reduced yields, increase nitrogen utilization, and improve overall soil and plant health. Access mixes with other nutrients or crop protection products and can be applied at planting or throughout the growing season.
Certis USA Sil-Matrix
www.certisusa.com/products/biochemicals/sil-matrix
Sil-Matrix acts as a comprehensive fungicide, insecticide and miticide to protect carrot crops and increase yield. The active ingredient in Sil-Matrix, potassium silicate, helps to form a physical barrier within the leaf cuticle to protect crops from pests and diseases, enhance defense against environmental stresses and provide post-harvest protection. Sil-Matrix is OMRI-listed and NOP compliant for use in organic or conventional production. Plus, the product is made in the U.S.
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NovaSource Solmenda & Sectagon www.novasource.com
Solmenda can be a useful liquid soil amendment for carrot growers seeking to alter the chemical and physical structure of agricultural soil. This liquid promotes root health and overall plant growth by loosening the soil, improving air and water penetration and leaching excess salts. Solmenda adds calcium and sulfur, and its effect on soil chemistry (pH and cation exchange capacity) improves the availability of existing plant nutrients important for crop health, such as potassium, zinc, phosphorus and magnesium. Applications of Solmenda can be made at any time, regardless of whether crops are present or not, and the product is compatible with Sectagon fumigation products. Sectagon soil fumigant (metam sodium) is an important tool for producing high-quality, high-value carrot crops. When facing soilborne pests, Sectagon provides effective, economical suppression of weeds, diseases and nematodes. Sectagon can be applied using soil injection, soil bedding or chemigation methods.
Terramera Rango www.tryrango.com
Carrot growers now have a new tool for control of insects and diseases in one application. Rango is a highly effective solution for controlling pests on vegetable and fruit crops, providing protection against insects, mites and fungal pathogens from start to harvest. Field trials have demonstrated efficacy in controlling insects such as aphids, thrips, beetles, lepidoptera species and spider mites, as well as diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and Botrytis. Rango controls target pests on contact or by ingestion. It offers multiple modes of action as an anti-feedant, insect repellent, growth regulator and fungal growth inhibitor. Rango is OMRI-listed and classified as a “NC” FRAC Code – no known resistance, making it an excellent rotation or tank partner in IPM programs for organic and page.v1.outlines.pdf conventional operations. ops. When facing 21-02 Carrot Country-.5H 1 2021-02-02 9:24 AM soil-borne pests, Sectagon provides effective, economical suppression of weeds, diseases and nematodes. Sectagon can be applied using soil injection, soil bedding or chemigation methods.
CarrotCountry.com
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Carrots move through the washing station in a carrot pack house.
H2O: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Recycling Water in Carrot Pack Houses Aqua HD has designed a water treatment
technology involving particle separation that allows pack houses to recycle their water. In pack houses, water is used extensively during the packaging process for uses such as cleaning and transporting produce throughout the packing operation. Pack houses can incur high costs for both water usage and wastewater discharge tariffs. This can limit pack house operations due to shortages of fresh water as well as land for wastewater discharge. This is especially true for root vegetables pack houses where high solids are removed from the vegetables and transferred to the water stream. As a result, wastewater generated in pack houses is characterized by a high presence of solids, creating high turbidity and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) levels, which result in high costs associated with removing the particles from the wastewater stream. Many pack houses are looking to decrease their water usage and reduce their wastewater tariff costs through the reuse of their process water. When handling these 10
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By Udi Leshem, Co-founder, Aqua HD
water streams, solids separation becomes the main challenge in the treatment process. Particles in root vegetables pack houses are very small; over 90 percent of the particles are in the range of 2-50 microns, which creates a challenge when considering any type of separation or filtration. Traditionally, solids separation processes in pack houses use gravitational separation (clarifiers). While effective, clarifiers require a big footprint and are relatively expensive. While processes that remove particles using centrifugal force do exist in the market as an alternative to the clarification process (e.g. Hydrocyclone), they are extremely limited in the size of particles they can separate (larger than 70 um) and the density (larger than 1.9 g/cc( and are mainly used for the initial large sand separation (less than 2 percent of the solids). The high sheer forces created in the Hydrocyclone will prevent the use of coagulation and flocculation processes since the flocs will be broken and, thus, the operation will be ineffective.
New Technology
The recently developed hydrodynamic separator called Natica, developed by Aqua HD, is free from the limitations of the conventional solid separation processes. The Natica works by creating centripetal forces to separate particles under low pressure (1bar). In the Natica, the water flows through a dedicated circular structure (Fig. 1). The pass of the water in the circular structure allows the creation of high centrifugal forces (6-8 G) under low pressure. Due to the high centrifugal forces, particles become concentrated in the outer perimeter
Figure 1. An illustration of the Natica work principle
Figure 2. Results from Figure 2. Results from the carrot pack the house carrot treatment pack house treatment
of the separator. Owing to the laminar flow, particles stay in the outer perimeter layer and do not mix with the clean water in the inside of the separator. A specially designed outlet structure separates the stream rich in particles (near the outer perimeter) and that of the clean water. Particles that have been removed from the water will go through a further sludge thickening and dewatering treatment where the water will be sent to the head of the process.
water was discharged from the pit and fresh water was filled in. The Aqua HD system was installed next to the pit and was continuously pumping water from the pit, cleaning it and sending the clean water from the pit to the head of the washer. This configuration allowed for continued operation of the pit without the need for the frequent water replacements in the pit that resulted in high flows of highly loaded wastewater to the sewer lines. In the carrot pack house, the installation was done in a limited footprint (inside
the existing pack house) and without interfering with the daily pack house operation. As seen in Fig. 2, the Aqua HD separation system was able to achieve very high removal efficiency (over 90 percent) and produce high quality water regardless of changing inlet water conditions. The system compactness and modularity make the hydrodynamic separator a very suitable solution for pack houses that want to handle their water stream either for discharge to the sewer lines or to the environment or want to recycle their water.
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Case Study
Due to high wastewater tariffs costs, Aqua HD recently installed a water treatment and recycling system in a carrot pack house in Israel. In the carrot pack house, water was continuously discharged from the washer (few seconds every few minutes) to a designated pit and was recycled to the head of the washer to use in produce conveying. When solids loading in the pit became too high (every few days),
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METAM MOVEMENT 40,000 Soil Readings, Five Takeaway Insights
By Bill Woodward, NovaSource North America
T
oday, many carrot growers are using the soil fumigants metam sodium and metam potassium more efficiently than ever for the suppression of weeds, disease and nematodes because of insights gained from a four-year study by NovaSource into how the products perform following application. Now that more than 40,000 postapplication soil sample readings have been collected and categorized, several assumption-busting revelations have been revealed. And a better understanding of the underground behaviors of these products is now guiding applicators to optimize metam applications. This knowledge is enabling operators to maximize underground metam product exposure to pests and generate some highly favorable results.
Introducing an Underground Technology
In 2017, a presentation on the subject of soil fumigation by Dr. Steve Fennimore, a weed scientist from UC Davis, captivated attendee Kyle Coleman, director of marketing and commercial development at NovaSource. As Fennimore explained about his use of a photo-ionization detector to better understand fumigant location in soil, Coleman was inspired to try it out for himself. “I had been working with metam products since 1999, but had no clue this equipment was available,” Coleman recalls. “I purchased a unit and made a call to a custom applicator to try it out. I just wanted to see how the technology worked. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.” Coleman’s first test was on a carrot field in Washington, and he and the grower were surprised by the results. “The application was made by shanking at 12 inches, and after 48 hours, almost none of the fumigant was found in the top 6 inches. We were all startled by the findings,” Coleman says. 12
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“We started to realize that if the product wasn’t moving as much as any of us had assumed, we’d need to prioritize the pests, be more specific about pest location and determine how to get the product where it needed to be,” he added. Numerous adjustments were made to application rate, depth of application and soil moisture content over a two-year period before agronomists were completely satisfied with the placement of the product for maximizing results. In the meantime, word of these findings began to spread, and Coleman found himself immersed in requests for insights. “We’ve collected readings in nine states where metam products are used for different crops,” Coleman says. “I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen single-level and dual-level placement, rototillers, drip application and chemigation. I’ve seen sweeps, shanks, nozzles and drop tubes in many configurations. I’ve been on soil that is so dry the dust shot up into my pant legs all over my socks with every step, and fields so muddy I could barely keep my balance. Every single application method creates a unique pattern, and the conditions in which the product is applied creates another layer of complexity.” “If there were little variation, I would have stopped at a few thousand readings. Instead, we’ve collected and received more than 40,000 post-application soil sample readings from coworkers and fantastic cooperators from all over the country, and every one of them tells a story,” he says.
Common Themes Emerge
Since Coleman’s initial visit to that first field in 2017, this collection of data has revealed five main variables that can create significant differences in product effectiveness – often, when only minor adjustments to an application method are employed. “When you look at all the information, the keys for optimizing the effectiveness of your metam soil fumigant application
Kyle Coleman
boil down to these primary new insights,” Coleman says. He calls them “the five pillars of metam movement in soil.”
Moisture Preservation
If possible, maintain 80 percent moisture throughout the soil profile weeks before application up to the day of application. Moist soil delivers several benefits: submoisture helps facilitate metam movement; moist soil promotes respiration in an important pest like weeds; moisture in the soil helps maintain longer exposure times; and from a stewardship perspective, moisture helps reduce odor and the chance of off-gassing.
Placement Strategy
Compared to other fumigants, the vapor pressure of metam products is relatively low, so they simply don’t travel as far or as uniformly as applicators have assumed for many years. Sampling the soil to better understand your exact pest location is recommended. Then, precision place your metam product near your targeted pests
CarrotCountry.com
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Metam Movement
through chemigation, shanking or deep shanking.
Equipment
Making even minor adjustments to the equipment you’re using to prepare soil, apply product and seal the application can make a big difference. Know the precise and unique pattern created by your machinery. Roughing up the soil a little won’t compromise performance as long as you don’t dry it out or leave product on or near the soil surface.
Pest Respiration
Pests are living organisms. And metam products are most effective when the pest is most susceptible and the application is
optimal. If you can’t imagine a weed seed really thriving in a certain soil condition, then it probably isn’t – and suppression is much more difficult.
Soil Tilth
Dry, compacted or cloddy soil can limit product movement. Avoid applying the product to deeply frozen soil. Anything you can do to avoid drying the soil is critical because the metam may dissipate in dry soil before it has time to do its job.
What Really Matters
Many operators are reporting improved results from making adjustments based on these five insights, according to Coleman. And while they’re all relevant to product
New Product
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Company Offers Economy Soil Moisture Meter Spectrum Technologies Inc. has released the FieldScout TDR 250 Economy Soil Moisture Meter as the latest addition to the TDR product line. The new model offers the same measurement accuracy at a more affordable investment, according to the company. The TDR 250 is a tool to help irrigated row crop and vegetable growers capture soil moisture spot measurements for effective irrigation scheduling. The meter measures
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performance, he believes moisture preservation is the area that’s most important. “For example, in the Pacific Northwest, we have seen harvested grain fields go for months without additional water being added until just before metam application is made. That’s too little, too late. We want to see more consistent moisture in that soil profile,” Coleman says. “Every one of the five pillars matters more than people think,” he added. “And when adjustments are made and tracked over time in each category, the full potential of metam product use can be realized.” For more information, contact Kyle Coleman at kyle.coleman@tkinet.com.
soil moisture (volumetric water content) in less than a second, with settings for standard, hi-clay or sand texture soils. With a rugged T-handle frame and LCD display, the userfriendly TDR is built to capture accurate spot measurements across the field. All of Spectrum’s TDR meters offer interchangeable soil probes at varying lengths, so users can choose the best option for their crops’ root zones. Visit www.specmeters.com.
June 24-26
United Fresh 2021 Los Angeles www.unitedfresh.org
Oct. 4-7
International Carrot and Other Apiaceae Symposium York, United Kingdom www.carrotsymposium.com
Editor’s note: Information was correct at presstime. Please contact event organizers to check for possible changes.
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