Back to Your Roots The twin ripper is equipped with patented vibrating winged shanks. Soil structure breakout is unmatched by any conventional ripper. Using the new Mid-Row Ripper from Schmeiser
What value is this to Blue Diamond Growers ? We already have customers asking for us to share ideas for reducing the carbon footprint of almonds they purchase. These are companies with commitments for lowering their carbon footprint for voluntary reasons, often due to pressures of public disclosure requirements. This program will give us the data and almond supply to meet these demands more readily than other suppliers. Our goal for the project is to turn this customer interest into financial value to our members, either through premium almond prices, value added service (such as carbon credits), or other sales benefits (e.g. increased volumes and preferential relationships with customers). Will this replace the incentive paid from OSIP? No, this does not replace the OSIP incentive payment. Any grant funding is above and beyond the OSIP incentive
Manage your Root Zone using the new Mid-Row Ripper. · 4X Better Soil Breakout · Water Savings and
Enhanced Drainage · Superior Mixing of Amendments in the Root Zone
“Its the new best way for planting orchards and vineyards, period.” - John Duarte of Duarte Nursery
Better Root Zone Management from
1-800-288-8128 • www.tgschmeiser.com
How long is the program? The funding is for a five-year period. Depending on the timing of signing the agreement with the USDA, this likely will cover four full seasons and parts of a fifth. When can I begin receiving the grant funding? This has not been determined yet. Blue Diamond will be working over the course of the next year to set up the internal process and support to manage the grant program. Once set up and under contract with the USDA, Blue Diamond will communicate to our grower owners when funding is available. We will likely launch in conjunction with OSIP in November of 2023. Remember that Blue Diamond has five years to fund the activities.
payment. In fact, the hope is that by funding the pollinator- related activities through the grant, we will enable growers who might not have otherwise been eligible to reach Triple Diamond OSIP level. That way, more members can get the highest OSIP returns on their almonds. The grant will also enable us to explore additional OSIP options which would have financial value to members. How will funds be dispersed? Per USDA requirements, the funding is for reimbursement of completed activities. Some of the reimbursement will go to Project Apis m . and Pollinator Partnership for seed and transplants provided to the growers. One objective is to pay for the costs of establishing pollinator habitat to help growers get Bee Friendly Farming certified and therefore become eligible for higher OSIP funding.
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NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2022
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