News

Companies introduce their latest clean, renewable energy technologies

According to Gills Onions and Duda Farm Fresh Foods, the two companies unveiled the world’s largest vanadium flow battery and 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, respectively, at an event they hosted July 11.

Built by U.S.-based Prudent Energy, Gills’ tennis-court-sized vanadium flow battery was installed to build upon the company’s award-winning Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) and will further improve the processing facility’s energy efficiency during peak usage hours. Gills’ flow battery stores electricity during lower-cost nighttime hours. During higher-cost peak hours, the facility can rely on the flow battery to generate 600 kilowatts of power for up to six hours.

Duda’s 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, engineered by Cenergy Power, is the latest addition to the company’s fresh-cut celery facility, which opened in 2008. The solar panels will generate 688,000 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year and provide 40 percent of the power for the fresh-cut celery and cooling facility. Installing the panels allows Duda to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 478 metric tons each year; the equivalent of the emissions from 53,580 gallons of gasoline consumed.

The companies co-hosted the Produce Energy “Green” ribbon-cutting ceremony in Oxnard, Calif., on July 11 to introduce their latest technologies and celebrate a collective 1.63 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. In keeping with the spirit of sustainability, the invitation-only launch was a zero-waste event. The program featured video tours of the Gills and Duda facilities, on-site project tours and remarks from company representatives and guests.

For more: www.gillsonions.com, www.dudafresh.com
 

PMA makes changes to Fresh Summit

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is making changes to its Fresh Summit event after gathering feedback from the fresh produce and floral industry. One of the big changes it’s making to the event is shortening the schedule from four days to three days. The trade show will also be shortened from three days to two days, but total expo time will be reduced by only 1.5 hours.

Other changes include the educational workshops being centralized into one day, on Friday, and organized into three series. A Friday Daily Pass registration option is being offered. A “Just 4 Kids” showcase will be featured in the New Products Showcase. The “communities of interest,” will help attendees find networking opportunities, education, products and services to meet their specific needs. PMA hopes to attract more floral buyers and sellers, and is offering a special floral registration package.

There are several other aspects to the event that will remain unchanged, such as general sessions that will be held on each day and registration packages that include all-access and expo-only options. The Retail Produce Tour will be held Thursday, Oct. 25 with limited space.

Advance registration closes Oct. 12, but on-site registration will be available. The Fresh Summit Convention and Expo is held Oct. 26-28 in Anaheim, Calif.

For more: www.freshsummit.com
 

Syngenta enhances cucurbit seed offerings

Effective in August, Syngenta began enhancing its cucurbit seed offerings with a standard on-seed application of FarMore Technology. All Syngenta squash, melon and open-field cucumber seed sold in North America is being treated with FarMore Technology, which Syngenta says is the first comprehensive combination of separately registered seed protection products, proprietary application technologies and dedicated seed treatment services that maximize vegetable production value by enhancing performance and quality. 

Cucurbit seed, including melon and squash varieties, receive a FarMore F300 treatment with FarMore FI400 available as an optional upgrade. Syngenta cucumber seed varieties, such as Diomede and Constable, are treated with FarMore FI400, a combination of three different but complementary fungicides providing early-season protection from diseases like Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. The active ingredients mefenoxam (Apron XL fungicide), fludioxonil (Maxim 4FS fungicide) and azoxystrobin (Dynasty fungicide) combined with an insecticide component deliver a full range of early-season disease and pest protection. 

For more: www.vegetables.syngenta-us.com
 

N.C. State University opens greenhouse complex

N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI), located at the N.C. Research Campus, has begun operations at three new greenhouses. The $340,000 greenhouse complex will strengthen N.C. State’s infrastructure at the N.C. Research Campus, creating about 10,000 square feet of additional space for plant trials and fostering relationships with business and campus partners that can rent space for individual or collaborative research projects.

The greenhouses are already home to broccoli and strawberry research trials. PHHI scientists study plants — mainly fruits and vegetables — to discover and deliver innovative plant-based solutions to advance human health.

Allan Brown, an applied molecular geneticist with the institute, is conducting broccoli-breeding trials at the greenhouses. By cross-pollinating different varieties of broccoli, each containing specific traits of value, Brown aims to breed a new, better broccoli.

Next door to the broccoli building is a greenhouse filled with about 200 varieties of strawberry plants.

Jeremy Pattison, PHHI’s strawberry breeder, is leveraging the new facilities for his research program as well. Isolated from local farming operations, the Kannapolis greenhouses have allowed Pattison to start strawberry disease-resistance trials. Pattison aims to breed a superior N.C. strawberry via traditional methods, one that will extend the growing season and add value to the state’s agriculture industry.

N.C. State wants to expand the greenhouse complex to include a headhouse, which would serve as the center of operations with support facilities like labs, offices, restrooms and storage space, but detailed plans are not yet in place. Still, the university is confident its investment will pay dividends.

For more: www.plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu