MEMBERSHIP BASICS
Planning for the 2024 Harvest I’d like to introduce you to a new column called “Membership Basics” where we’ll have the opportunity to explore foundational topics of importance to you as a Blue Diamond grower-member. If you are like many Blue Diamond grower-members you likely have a good understanding of the contract, paperwork and systems that enable you to manage your farm with Blue Diamond each year. But do you truly know the process behind the paperwork, and why our programs work as they do ? Each month, the goal will be to “lift the hood” on one to two processes and dig deep so that you can become a more knowledgeable grower-member. From contracts and assignments to deferrals and investment opportunities, Blue Diamond processes can be complex. My goal will be to demystify these subjects and simplify the complex. For this first article, I think it’s most appropriate to take on what’s bearing down on us right now, which is the 2024 crop. Believe it or not, that crop will be ready for harvest before we know it! Being extraordinary at the basics is a mantra often heard around the membership offices. In that spirit, let’s take a look at the most basic considerations for getting this crop harvested, delivered and paid out to you.
Accurate Acreage is the Foundation Each year at Blue Diamond we receive, grade, process and make payments on approximately 50,000 individual lots or deliveries. Amazingly, we do this with unbelievable accuracy and although errors are possible, we do our best to try to avoid inaccuracies, which starts with sound data. We leverage our custom Grower Information System (GIS) which manages this stream of data all through the process from receiving pit to your bank account. All of it is based on the information set up in your contract and sub-contracts. Accurate information is the foundation. The very simple point to be made here is that we need to have the most accurate and up to date acreage information and payment instructions for everything to work as planned. Please let us know if you’ve pulled any orchards, sold orchards or reduced any acreage. Double-check your acreage records on any young orchards that will be coming into their first harvest this year.
Huller Changes We will start to print delivery tags after the first of June. As mentioned, it is essential that each tag be coded to the correct sub-contract, which is based on acreage records as mentioned to the left. A key piece of information that gets printed on the tag is the huller identification number. If you plan on changing your huller, we need to know that as well. Although we do make additional tag printing runs after the initial print period, it is much more efficient to print them in the first round as it saves us the need for smaller custom printing that we do in-house. The later we get this information, the more work it takes to ensure accuracy as we often must add, replace and deliver new tags once we are close to harvest in August. One additional note that is important to consider if you change hullers this year: if you had an assignment directing Blue Diamond to pay funds from your sub-contract to your previous huller, the previous huller will need to submit a termination of assignment form to stop the assessment of hulling fees. Just notifying us of a hulling change will not automatically affect any assignments currently in place. Please contact your Regional Manager or the Grower Information Portal for assignment termination forms.
26
ALMOND FACTS
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker