New this spring, growers and processors have access to an updated and improved California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) online platform. The platform was optimized to add benefits for users, including new dashboards specific to individual operations, progress tracking and improved crosslinking. 
“From my experience working with growers and processors, the more helpful tools to manage an operation, the better,” said Spencer Cooper, senior manager, Irrigation and Water Efficiency, Almond Board of California. “With the new look and added functionality of CASP, industry members can more effectively rely on the program for help.”
The CASP updates allow users to get more out of the platform, starting with a new dashboard on the homepage. On the dashboard, progress and achievements are tracked through helpful visualizations and all information is personalized to the user’s unique operation. Growers have easy access to a summary of their orchards and acres within CASP and have an added ability to drill down into the details on an orchard-by-orchard level. Because CASP is a resource to reference throughout the growing season, this platform also features “Most Recent Activity” navigation that lets users return to where they left off for assessments.
Tools within CASP were also improved with the update. The Irrigation Calculator, for example, now has separate tabs for setup, weekly inputs and reports, allowing for improved usability. When growers input their data, the Irrigation Calculator also links to educational materials found on Almonds.com/Irrigation and within the Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum, allowing growers to learn as they assess their current irrigation efficiencies.
All information entered into CASP can be leveraged to inform on-farm decisions. The Irrigation Calculator can report on seasonal irrigation patterns by comparing weekly ETc, weekly inches supplied, accumulated ETc and accumulated inches supplied. By leveraging the Nitrogen Calculator — another tool within CASP — growers can generate helpful reports needed for regulatory purposes, including compliance with the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.
Beyond improvements within the program itself, these updates make communicating with handler partners easier than ever before. Growers have the option to securely and anonymously share self-assessment results with their handlers, and they control when to start and stop sharing as data is continually gathered.
“With the upgrades to CASP, growers can better leverage their operational data,” said Cooper. “The better growers can monitor information throughout the growing season, the easier it is to improve year after year.”
Successfully maintaining data in a secure and confidential manner is a hallmark of CASP since 2009. To explore the updates to CASP, visit SustainableAlmondGrowing.org. Additionally, a "Getting Started" document is available here.
