chriscallahanuvm
I am often asked by growers and processors to recommend a thermostat for greenhouse, cooler, or postharvest process use. There are many to choose from and their specifications can be confusing. It is important to remember just what a thermostat does. It is essentially no different from the light switch on the wall with one […]
Finish Surfaces for Produce and Food Areas
Smooth and cleanable surfaces are an important aspect of areas where produce is washed, packed, stored and processed. Many farms are investing in renovations and expansions of these areas and are seeking materials to meet this “finish surface” need regardless of specific regulation. Meanwhile, entrepreneurial food processing companies are often required to incorporate these materials […]
New Crop Storage Planning Tool
I have been toying with an Excel-based crop storage planning tool for several years. I finally have it at point where I want to make it available to others and start collecting feedback for improvement. You can download the tool here, and instructions are available in the tool and at this page. Enjoy and please […]
Final Report – Increasing Supply and Quality of Local Storage Vegetables
We recently completed a project aimed at improving the ability of Vermont vegetable farms to store crops such as beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, squash and sweet potatoes, all of which have unmet demand in late winter when local supplies run out. The physiology of these crops allows them to be stored for many months […]
Doser for Small Scale Vegetable Washing with Sanitizer
I recently put together a simple doser for manually measuring accurate doses of sanitizer into wash water solutions. It is really just a homemade burette. The process of mixing a treatment dose of santizer requires metering a specific dose of concentrate into a larger volume of water. I have also created a calculator to help with […]
Simple DIY Outside Air Exchange
In colder climates winter storage crops have been stored in passive root cellars for centuries, striking the balance between outside conditions and storage conditions. Although modern refrigeration systems are generally used for large scale, longer-term storage of these crops some enterprises seek lower cost and high energy efficiency options. Outside air exchange systems use an […]
DIY Auto-fill Humidifier
I recently built a humidifier I think others might find useful. This could be useful for cheese aging, meat curing, and storage of winter crops all of which require maintaining specific temperature and humidity. The details are available on the Tool Wiki at FarmHack. Take a look, and let me know if you find ways […]
2013 UVM Mobile Hops Harvester Summary
The UVM Mobile Hops Harvester visited six hop yards this year, harvesting approximately 400 dry pounds of hops, over a 4 week period plus harvesting the UVM Extension NW Crops and Soils Team’s research hop yard. This harvester, developed as a result of a Northeast Hops Alliance, UVM Extension, VT Agency of Ag Food and […]
Food Storage Workshops
UVM Extension with support from the USDA’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program will offer five one-day workshops on crop storage throughout Vermont this fall. Workshops will focus on long-term storage of crops for sale through the winter and into early spring, but will be relevant to many agricultural and food storage needs. Topics […]
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