Sustainability

Our Fields’ Health

In its simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food and fiber using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. Sustainability rests on the principle that we meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Drip Irrigation

Westside Produce is a “family company” committed to the needs of our customers, growers, employees, their families, and the communities we serve. We focus on the health of our fields and are good stewards of the land, using only essential resources on the farm and in our facility. For more than 25 years, we have made a commitment to do what is best for the soil, including proper rotation, nutrition, and minimal use of foreign substances. We have also encouraged and employed the use of drip irrigation, a sustainable farming method that supplies controlled amounts of water and additives to crops with little waste.

Managing Energy

At our facility, we strive to optimize efficiencies while doing our best to manage the energy grid. For several years, we have participated in Pacific Gas and Electric’s demand response program for grid stability, management, and monitoring. In August of 2014, we completed the installation of a 1.2 mW solar facility at our forced air cooling facility in Firebaugh. The system has 3,540 Hanwha Q-Cell 290 panels, 26 Solectria string inverters, generates approximately 1.6 million kW’s of power, and offsets 90% of our total annual energy load. The project was built by Barrier Solar Power Systems.