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Our Commitment to sustainability
Cal Farms believes in continual improvement in their sustainability program. Every year new ideas are added and old ones are improved. Cal Farms has maintained this philosophy for 4 generations over nearly 100 years. It's all apart of wanting to give our children something even better for their future.
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Our farming practices from start to finish incorporate both the highest levels of food safety and sustainability. From disking cover crop in the early morning mist to hand packing the final product, we are involved in every step of the process.
Water Conservation |
Use of micro and drip irrigation. Wind fighter. High efficiency rotator heads on irrigation lines. Rotater heads give even coverage with less water. Through the use of drip irrigation and rotater heads we have reduced our water consumption by 24%. Cal Farms continues to invest in these technologies to keep the vital water sources from becoming endangered.
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Energy Efficiency
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Variable speed pumps. LED lights. Motion sensor lights. As we upgrade tractors and equipment we investment into cleaner burning engine technologies.
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Soil Health
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The foundation of farming lies in the health of the soil. A more premium crop is produced by having healthier soil. Providing and replacing the essential nutrients for growing is critical. This is done through rotation management and selected cover crops. Seeds are all selected for each field based on each micro environment that they are best suited for. Composting. Active biological communities.
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Local Food Banks and food waste reduction
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We support the Oregon Food Bank and their associated partners across the state. Once weekly they pick up fresh produce to distribute to our local community.
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IDP: Imperfectly Delicious Produce |
We support the efforts of IDP to keep flavorful yet cosmetically damaged produce in the food chain. Vast amounts of produce can go unharvested due to size, shape or color but still have all the nutrition and flavor. We work direct with distributors to send IDP to service outlets.
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Seed Trials and Testing |
We work with our seed producers to grow, test and evaluate new varieties every season. We score the varieties based on how well they perform in each micro environment within our farms as well as how they hold and look for the consumers. Taste . All seeds are non-GMO and sourced from local suppliers.
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RPC: Reuseable Plastic Containers |
We use eco friendly versions of paper, stretch wrap, films, irrigation drip tape, office products
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Farming Processes
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GPS guided equipment provides more efficiency in the field by reducing skips and overlaps. This technology saves fuel, water, seed, fertilizers and time. We operate all farms under the USDA Ag Good Practice Program.
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Beekeeping
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Happy healthy hives means happy good lives. We 'bee-leive' if it isn't good for the bees it isn't good for us. It is important to work closely with our beekeepers using an integrated pest management system to insure the health of our hives. Our pollinator friends are as important to us as the vegetables. We maintain about 400 hives year-round onsite across our farms.
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