Sustainability Proposal 
02.27.2018 
─ 

Graham Honig 
Whiteside Almond Orchards  
15697 S. Austin Road 
Manteca, CA 95336 

 
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Table of Contents  
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………….2 
 

The Problem……………....………………………………………………………………………………...3 
 

Project Description.……………………………………………………………………………………….4 
 

Cost Analysis……….……………………………………………………………………………………….5 
 

Assessment Strategy……………………………………………………………………………………...6 
 

Conclusion…………...……………………………………………………………………………………....7 
 

Appendix……………..………………………………………………………………………………………8 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
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Executive Summary 

Overview 
The purpose of this proposal is to put forth a plan that would improve the existing 
Whiteside Almond Orchards, and make our farming techniques more sustainable.  
 
This added sustainability will do three things: 
1) Add a new revenue stream, and cut costs of production  
2) Limit waste of key environmental resources 
3) Improve the health of our employees, and help our brand image 

Proposed Actions 
To arrive at these positive outcomes, we must plant perennial crops between the 
rows of Almond Trees. We will need to specifically plant perennial legume plants 
because of their symbiotic relationship with almond trees.  
 
In addition, we would switch from our flood irrigation method to a drip system. The 
reason for this action is because our legume plants cannot survive in a flooded field 
unlike an almond tree.  

Goals 
The goal of this sustainability proposal would be to make our use of water much 
more efficient in providing for the health of our crops. In doing so, our company 
would use much less water, and we will be able to maintain the health of our soil 
for much longer.  
 
These actions should result in an increase of profit, decrease of environmental 
waste, and a decrease in work-induced health problems of our workers.  
 
 

 
 

 
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The Problem 
The problem which we need to fix pertains to the overall health of our soil and how 
the health of our soil leads to poor water infiltration and retention. In addition, 
these problems cause severe runoff of our topsoil which is essential for the growth 
of our crops, and, not to mention, a waste of environmental resources.  

Evaporation 
Currently, our soil is extremely dry and dense. This hard top soil does not allow 
water to penetrate its surface and reach our plant’s roots efficiently. When we 
begin to flood our orchard in order to water our crops, the water rests on top for a 
long period of time while it waits to be absorbed by our inadequate soil. When this 
occurs we lose roughly ​7,390 gallons​ of water every minute that it rests on the 
surface exposed to the heat. This loss of water not only adds to our cost of 
production, but it also wastes a large amount of California’s most scarce resource: 
water.  

Soil Runoff 
Coupled with a high loss of water due to evaporation, flood irrigation methods also 
lead to high amounts of soil runoff. It is measured that roughly 3 ​ 0%​ of topsoil is 
lost when flood irrigation methods are used. On our 1,000 acre orchard that is 
about ​314,000 tons​ of topsoil lost to runoff. To make matters worse, one inch of 
topsoil takes roughly 1,000 years to form naturally, so it is vitally important that we 
preserve as much of it as possible.  

Heat Exhaustion 
Because the central valley of California can reach temperatures of 110 degrees 
fahrenheit, heat exhaustion is a real threat to our workers. A heat index of only 90 
degrees fahrenheit can be dangerous, and it is heightened when performing 
manual labor. We must ensure that we provide for a healthy work environment for 
our employees.     

 
 

 
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Project Description 

Perennial Legume Plants 

The reason we must choose to plant legume plants as our perennial crop is 
because legume plants are nitrogen fixers. A nitrogen fixing plant, along with 
rhizobial bacteria, actively takes nitrogen which is present in the air and transfers it 
to the soil. This characteristic is beneficial to our orchards because almond trees 
require a lot of nitrogen to grow and produce. This will create a symbiotic 
relationship that causes both crops to thrive.  
 
The main benefit we hope these legume plants will provide is that they hold and 
retain moisture in the soil. Once the orchard is watered, the plants will absorb 
some water for themselves, and then they will transfer remaining water down into 
the soil where the deep roots of the almond trees can reach it. In addition to 
keeping moisture in the soil, the plants will also increase the speed in which the 
moisture penetrates the soil so that less water is lost to evaporation. Evaporation 
depends on multiple factors, but a 25% decrease in water lost to evaporation would 
be a realistic estimate.  
 
These additional crops will also help to diminish the possibility of heat exhaustion 
because additional ground coverage can decrease temperatures by up to 20 
degrees fahrenheit.  

Altering Irrigation 
Given that we plant these legume plants in our orchards, we must simultaneously 
switch to a drip irrigation system. We must do this because legume plants could not 
survive flood irrigation. However, we must also do this because it will be more 
effective for two reasons. One, since we will need less water because of the benefits 
legume plants bring, we can better control the amount of water we use with a drip 
system. The second reason is because switching from a flood irrigation system will 
reduce our amount of topsoil runoff drastically.  

 
 

 
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Cost Analysis 
 

Year 1  Cost 

Annual Profit from Legumes​1   $246,000 

Annual Savings in Water Costs​2  $32,000 

Initial Cost of Irrigation System  ($500,000) 

Year 1 Net Income  ($222,000) 

Year 2   

Annual Profit from Legumes​1  $246,000 

Annual Savings in Water Costs​2  $32,000 

Loss Incurred in Year 1  ($222,000) 

Year 2 Net Income  $56,000 

1​ Average yearly price of water is $127/acre. 
2​
Figure derived from DuPont Pioneer Cost of 
Production Calculator  Assumes we save 25% of water from 
evaporation 
 

Analysis 
The initial costs of the drip irrigation system will be large and we will incur a 
decrease in profit from this project during the first year we decide to implement it; 
however, as you can see, by year two Whiteside Almond Orchards will see a net 
profit increase of ​$56,000​ from this project alone. By year three, our company 
should see an increase of $278,000 in company profits.  
 
In addition, by bettering the health of our soil Whiteside Almond Orchards may see 
a much smaller need for fertilizers and other soil additives. This prediction is 
speculative, but it has been seen in comparable cases. If this occurs then it will be 
another cut to our company’s costs.  

 
 

 
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Assessment Strategy 
Short Term Intended Outcomes  
● Immediately decrease water usage by limiting evaporation and maximizing 
absorption 

● Immediately decrease topsoil runoff 

● Decrease temperatures for our employees who perform the manual labor  

Long Term Intended Outcomes 

● Increase profits by decreasing water costs and adding revenue from legume plants 

● Increase soil health that will benefit the growth and productiveness of our crops 

● Promote sustainable methods of water usage across the entire state of California  

How to Ensure Intended Results 

● Perform annual soil tests to measure the increase in soil nutrients and other 
biomass  

● Measure our water usage precisely because this will tell us how effective our new 
methods are at decreasing evaporation   

● Include a separate line-item for revenue from legumes and cost of water in the 
income statement so we may see the change to our profits that are directly related 
to this sustainability project 

● Provide an annual survey to employees to measure their health so that we may see 
if there is a decrease in heat related injuries or illnesses  

 
 

 
 

 
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Conclusion  

Whiteside Almond Orchards is presented with an opportunity to act as a leader in 

the effort to become a business who uses our environment’s resources in a 
sustainable manner. This proposal also presents Whiteside Almond Orchards with a 
unique opportunity to increase profits while acting socially responsible. The actions 
that our company take have a clear effect on the triple bottom line of our business. 
Our water conservation efforts will be beneficial to the environment, increases our 
profit, and it will provide a better work environment for our employees. In addition, 
our responsible use of water will be beneficial to the greater community of 
Northern California because there will be more water available for use. Whiteside 
Almond Orchards should expect that their actions will act as a catalyst for other 
farms to act accordingly.  
 

 
 

 
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Appendix 
To: Bill Whiteside 
From: Graham Honig 
Subject: Project Approved: Sustainability Proposal 
 
Hello Bill,  
 
The sustainability project I proposed has been approved.  
 
Please begin contacting irrigation experts to receive bids on installing a drip 
irrigation system. We will meet again next week to discuss details of planting the 
legume crops between rows of almond trees.  
 
Actions:  
1. Install drip irrigation system throughout our orchard 
2. Plant legume crops between the rows of almond trees  
 
Purpose: 
● Decrease water usage  
● Reduce the topsoil runoff, and maintain soil health  
● Add a revenue stream in addition to cost cutting methods  
 
Intended Results: 
● Save $32,000/year on irrigation costs  
● Save 314,000 tons of topsoil runoff 
● Add $246,000/year in profit from legume plant sales 
● Decrease orchard temperatures by up to 20 degrees fahrenheit 
 
Your role in this project is paramount, and I am excited to see the results.  
 
If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to contact me.  
 
Sincerely, 
Graham Honig  
 
 

 
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Works Cited  
https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/ca/agronomy/tools/production-cost-calculator/ 
http://www.westernfarmpress.com/irrigation/ways-improve-efficiency-flood-irrigation-syste
ms 
https://www.ctia.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ctia-wireless-foundatio
n-green-agriculture-final.pdf 
https://www.ctia.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ctia-wireless-foundatio
n-green-agriculture-final.pdf 
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-2666-8_48 
http://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2015/08/cost-cutting-for-2016-budgeting-for-corn-soybeans
.html 
https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands/using-trees-and-vegetation-reduce-heat-islands 
 

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