January/February 2024 - 15

HIGH PRESSURE PROCESSING
to can
W
By Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
hen it comes to fruit and vegetable production,
California is America's superpower. The state's ideal
climate for vegetable production helps make it the
third largest producer of processed tomatoes in the world.
Pacific Coast Producers is one major regional producer.
Sixteen of its 150 family farms grow and can 50% of all
private label tomatoes produced in North America within
the Central and Northern California region.
In recent years, the company has ramped up its focus on more
sustainable production, and its sustainability story provides an
example of big results from small changes - from field to can.
BOOSTING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION IN THE FIELD
Frank Muller and his family have been farming in Sacramento
Valley for more than 50 years. Muller is owner of M Three
Ranches and chair of Pacific Coast Producers, and is recognized
as a leader in the production of organically and conventionally
grown field crops, especially tomatoes.
Muller, his two sons and Rudy Lucero, district manager of
tomato field operations, work to produce high-value crops
as sustainably as possible. This means reducing reliance on
pesticides and herbicides, carefully managing water usage and
adopting technology that helps reduce waste and greenhouse
gas emissions.
Each season, Lucero meets with the managers of Pacific
Coast Producers' processing plant and provides them with
a list of 30 varieties to choose from. Varieties are selected,
in part, based on the ability to adapt to climate variability.
The process has paid off, as the past three years have been
drought years.
To boost water-use efficiency, Muller invested in drip
irrigation. His decision to do so was based on University of
California, Davis studies that showed tomatoes need a lot less
water than previously thought. The investment cost $1,500 per
acre but cut water usage by 40% and increased yields by 25%.
An investment in harvest equipment with camera technology
has enabled better sorting of tomatoes and the removal
of foreign material quickly and efficiently. Using sorting
technology has allowed M Three Ranches to reduce waste and
improve the quality of the crop delivered to the processor.
Previously, sorting was done manually, which was costly
and less efficient. Only two workers are needed to manage
the new harvest equipment.
" We have to be really cognizant of our labor costs, because
labor is our number-one cost, " said Muller.
To improve soil and environmental health, Muller practices
crop rotation, uses compost in place of synthetic fertilizer
where possible, and combines the two when needed. He also
practices integrated pest management strategies that reduce
reliance on pesticides.
" The goal is to leave the farm better off than how we found
it, " Muller said.
The two stacks seen
in this image are
part of the newly
installed mechanical
vapor recompression
technology that
improves overall plant
efficiency.
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
15
January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2024
