Greens Washline from China

With innovative tools becoming more available for salad greens production from field prep through harvest, mixed greens are becoming more attractive for farmers. Postharvest handling and wash/pack still causes a bottleneck for many farms. Today we share some knowledge on a piece of equipment recently adopted at Jericho Settlers Farm in Jericho, VT. This Greens …

Wheels Keep Things Rolling at Root 5 Farm

A PDF of this case study is available for download here.  Danielle Allen and Ben Dana own and operate Root 5 Farm in Fairlee, Vermont. This organic vegetable farm on the Connecticut River provides over 200 CSA members, farmers market, restaurant, and wholesale customers with local, healthy food. Over 100 different varieties of crops are …

Forced Air Cooling: Field Trial Results

Last summer we performed a series of precooling trials using small-scale forced air coolers to cool eggplant, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, zucchini, and roasting peppers. The forced air cooling was done in parallel with standard room cooling and was shown to result in cooling rates ranging from 1.2 to 2.2 times faster than room cooling. This …

Hygienic and Sanitary Design for Produce Farms

Hygienic design intentionally creates or improves spaces and equipment so they can be cleaned and sanitized as appropriate. This post, associated PDF guide and checklist (PDF and Excel, instructions) are tools we developed to help apply hygienic and sanitary design practice on produce farms. We also collaborated on a video introduction to hygienic design with …

Backflow Prevention for Produce Farms

The intentional, directional, and reliable flow of water is important to ensure agricultural water is “safe and of adequate sanitary quality”. This post provides information on the importance of backflow prevention and some common practices that help mitigate the risk of backflow. You can also view presentation slides and a recorded webinar on this topic …

Last Resort Farm Not Stalled by Dairy Barn Conversion

A PDF of this case study is available for download here. Silas Doyle-Burr is managing Last Resort Farm in Monkton, VT, taking over the operations from his parents on the farm he grew up at. The farm was purchased in 1987 and transitioned from dairy farming to vegetable production in 1993. They now grow 26 …

Produce Safety for Consumers (Radio PSA)

I recently had the opportunity to share a public service announcement for WDEV Radio and thought I’d take the three minutes to discuss what a consumer needs to know about Food Safety. The written transcription is below, or your can choose to listen to the segment yourself!

Vegetable Wash Sinks, Tanks, Tubs and Basins: Upgrades for Efficiency and Ergonomics

A pdf of this blog post can be downloaded here. Produce wash sinks and tanks on vegetable farms consist of several different styles, designs, sizes, and uses. The needs vary from farm to farm but some features to consider are highlighted here. Some common basins for washing vegetables could include the following. Commonly Used as …

Last Resort Farm: Post Harvest Case Study (Video Series)

Silas Doyle-Burr is managing Last Resort Farm in Monkton, VT, taking over the operations from his parents on the farm he grew up at. The farm was purchased in 1987, and transitioned from dairy farming to vegetable production in 1993, and now grow 26 different crops split just about evenly retail vs. wholesale. The following …

Cooler Construction Options – Walls and Panels

There are many options when it comes to constructing a walk-in cooler, cold room, or warm room for on-farm storage. The main goals for construction of any temperature and humidity controlled space are: Insulate the walls to provide for efficient temperature control against a different outside temperature (which may be a warmer inside space) Seal …

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