2010 Major Sustainability Efforts
Agriculture:
Approximately 85% of Ingomar Packing Company’s growers have converted to sub-surface drip irrigation systems. Benefits of Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation include: Water Conservation – Estimated savings (10-15%) ~ half an acre-foot of water; >150,000 gallons per acre. Soil Conservation – Drip irrigation requires less tilling and also reduces soil “runoff” versus furrow. Fertilizer Reduction – Fertilizer is directly applied to the root system via sub-surface drip irrigation which reduces the use of fertilizer versus topical application and ultimately reduces fertilizer in groundwater. Crop yields have improved by an estimated 20% with drip irrigation versus furrow irrigation.
Energy:
Our Solar Panel Array commissioned in 2010 is a five-acre array comprised of 6,408 solar panels. It produces a MW per hour at peak production and generates 2.1 million KW hours annually. The solar array produces electricity year round and excess energy is routed back to the grid. The EPA has calculated that over its 25-year design life this project will offset the emission of 37,679 tons of dangerous pollutants such as NOx, SO2 and CO2.
Operations:
Poly strapping – 40,000 lbs, Steel drums – 150,000 lbs, Plastic and cardboard – 131 tons (262,000 lbs). In total – 226 tons (452,000 lbs) of material was removed from the waste stream and recycled in 2010. Water Usage Processing – Recycled and conserved 33 million gallons of evaporative and rinse water via natural filtration utilized to transport fruit from delivery trucks to process. Pomace (tomato peel and seeds) – 14,641 tons (29 million lbs) utilized for animal feed. Wet waste (stems, vine, peel, other) 3,810 tons (7.6 million lbs) utilized for compost products. Other Recycled Metals: Carbon Steel – 74,540 lbs, Stainless Steel – 10,650 lbs, Copper – 6,930 lbs
