Where we talk tools, tips and techniques to improve the sustainability of your farm Andy was awarded a 2019 Northeast SARE Grant to produce The Ag Engineering Podcast. In this podcast, we share tools, tips and techniques to improve sustainability on your farm. It was launched in December 2019. This podcast features short-format, easy to …
Category Archives: Projects
Improving Handwashing Stations
A downloadable PDF of this blog post and assembly guide is available here. A video overview of a DIY Handwashing Station can be seen here. Handwashing has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of transmission of human pathogens between people. But, sometimes we are inconveniently far from …
Ag Engineering Downloadable PDF Resources
All of our resources are available here on this blog. However, if you are looking for a printed handout, here is a list. These are all of the PDF documents that we share during workshops, meetings, and presentations. All links will open the PDF in a new tab. You may also want to check out …
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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 …
Staying Ahead in the Packshed: Postharvest Topics, Sources of Information, and Ideas from Growers
Last Fall we surveyed growers in the region about postharvest topics in preparation for a USDA NE SARE proposal. That proposal has been funded! Growers who responded assigned a high level of importance to aggregated postharvest knowledge (4.5/5.0, n=56) while indicating poor availability of the information (3.3/5.0, n=57). Several ideas for research topics were provided …
Postharvest Resource Survey
We are seeking input regarding a research and education project with the goal of consolidating postharvest information in a single set of resources. Our proposed project aims to consolidate existing knowledge, best practices, and new developments in postharvest equipment, infrastructure, and buildings into a web-based handbook, workshop curriculum / educational materials and recorded videos. Click …
Construction Details for a Counter-top Forced Air Cooler
To learn more about forced air cooling visit go.uvm.edu/forcedaircooling To download the PDF version of this plan click here! Farms that need to cool smaller volumes of produce can also benefit from forced air cooling. Whether cooling stacked pallets, pallet bins or individual cartons, the same principals apply. A smaller pallet cooler was noted on …
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Construction Details for a Pallet Forced Air Cooler
To learn more about forced air cooling visit go.uvm.edu/forcedaircooling To download the PDF version of this guide click here! Framing: 2”x12” lumber to make a 43” wide x 74” tall x 11-1/4” deep plenum for suction air distribution. Plenum Panel: 3/8” CDX Plywood with an 11-1/4” circle cut out for the blower suction inlet. Position …
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Forced Air Cooling On The Farm
A downloadable/printable pdf of this article is available here. Introduction The preservation of quality in fresh market and storage crops on small and medium-sized farms in the Northeast depends on the rapid reduction of pulp temperature and maintenance of relatively low temperatures to slow metabolic respiration. There is strong foundational work showing that rapidly reducing …
Small Scale Forced Air Cooling Demo (Video)
Here is a video shot during some field experimentation last week working in a cooler.