implementing the practices needed for an orchard to become Bee Friendly Certified, which is one factor in getting the top OSIP payment per pound. Our hope is that these combined resources will be a significant benefit to participating members. • Documentation requirements — One of our partners recently commented that a strength of our proposal is that we intentionally plan to keep the measurement requirements for growers as minimal as possible. Many climate-smart programs require time consuming measurements and costly soil testing. We are committed to reducing this burden to our growers. That said, as we are using Federal dollars, there will be documentation requirements that will have to be followed by all parties. Documents will certainly include application forms but may also include reports from an online carbon calculator and/or receipts and photographs of the activities in the orchard. • Internal procedures — We will be coordinating activities by members, our partners, our Grower Accounting team, and our Member Relations team. And that is just on the work related to grower practices and payments. There will also be workstreams related to carbon accounting and tracking the almonds we sell through the market development efforts funded by the grant. All of these will require verifiable internal documentation procedures. Given the procedural requirements around U.S. government grants, there is a lot of work ahead. Thus, growers should not plan on implementing eligible grant practices until after this year’s crop harvest . What to do while you wait Growers should register for and participate in OSIP if not already doing so. If you plan to take advantage of the USDA grant in the future, being a part of OSIP will reduce your workload when you submit your application. Contact your Regional Manager for details on how to register. They
Photo credit: Chris Rishwain
have already been conducting OSIP workshops this winter and spring and can share tips they’ve learned to make the process easier. The program has also been streamlined compared to prior years. There is also a financial reward for participants in the form of a payment on the crop already delivered in 2022. The deadline to participate in OSIP for this crop year is approaching on May 26 ; don’t miss out on this opportunity unique to Blue Diamond membership.
Dr. Dan Sonke, Director of Sustainability, Blue Diamond Growers
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MARCH–APRIL 2023
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