Fruit Production Picking & Hauling Fruit In properly designed planting beds, baby trees will require at least 3 times weekly irrigations for the first several years. This can taper off as their root systems develop and reach deeper into the soil structure. At maturity, the trees require less frequent irrigations. The soil type, drainage, micro-climate and evapotranspiration patterns (driven by temperature and humidity) within the climate zone all affect the frequency and irrigation requirements of the orchard. Innovative high density avocado orchard plantings by Brokaw Nursery located in Ventura, CA, shown in several photos, can provide greater revenue per acre than more traditional density plantings of 100 trees/acre. This is also a growing trend in other fruit orchard developments, some of which can be up to 500-1000 trees per acre. The choice of root stock, scion variety and trellis design are important decision criteria in high density plantings. Neff Ranch produces a variety of permanent crops, including citrus, avocados and specialty tropical fruits. The citrus varieties include Valencia and Moro Blood Oranges, Rio Red Grapefruit, Meyer Lemons and Minneola Tangelos, Tango Mandarins, Gold Nugget and Satsuma Tangerines. Avocado varieties include Hass, Reed and Gem. Tropical fruits include four varieties of Papayas, Pomegranates, Persimmons and several types of Mangos. Most of this fruit is sold in bulk quantities of 1000 pound bins, fresh bagged quantities ranging from 5-25 pounds, and cold pressed juice blends, made weekly in our commercial kitchen. A successful farm-to-table business model for urban agriculture requires harvesting and transporting the fruit at the peak time to meet consumers’ expectations in flavor, color and firmness. There are several solutions for “Picking and Hauling,” which include “You Pick,” “Harvest Club” and “Commercial.” You Pick involves buyers/consumers visiting the orchards and gardens to select, pick and box their own fruit. Supervision is necessary by the farm operators to limit the risks of damage to equipment, trees, vines and other improvements as well as to the consumer. Harvest Club is a service providing weekly delivery directly to the HOA or individual homeowners in the community. Commercial picking and hauling relies on packing house organized labor crews and trucking operations to move large bulk quantities of the fruit. The pricing of these pick and haul options vary with the type and volume of commodities produced. Eight generations of agri-business pioneers to the 1740s Baby Trees