Year Awarded 2018
FFAR award amount $225,000
Total award amount $450,000
Location Davis, CA
Program Seeding Solutions
Matching Funders Almond Board of California, Bays Ranch Inc., Muller Berry Farms, Ples Due Family Farms
Grantee Institution University of California Davis
Almonds typically dry out on the orchard floor before being harvested. This practice prevents growers from using manure or compost that could improve the soil but could also contaminate the almonds. University of California, Davis researchers are testing machinery that harvests almonds, leaving the hulls and shells on the ground to improve soil health.