Data-Driven Sustainable Farming: Okanagan Specialty Fruits' Approach

In agriculture, some farmers rely simply on their instincts and experience to make decisions about their crops. Okanagan Specialty Fruits has taken the guesswork out of the equation through data-driven agriculture, which makes sustainable farming more profitable and sustainable.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
12 Responsible Consumption and production
13 Climate Action
15 Life on Land

Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) is a world leader in tree fruit breeding and innovation, specializing in the development, growing, processing, and marketing of novel tree fruit varieties through bioengineering. Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) is headquartered in the fertile Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada with orchards and operations in and near Moses Lake, WA. Founded in 1996 by apple and cherry growers Neal and Louisa Carter—who are passionate about reducing food waste and boosting apple consumption—with a vision to create innovative fruit varieties that offer both consumer benefits and environmental sustainability. As a supplier of sliced apples, its flagship product, the Arctic® apple, is a nonbrowning apple that reduces food waste by maintaining its fresh appearance for longer periods. This innovation is only part of OSF's broader commitment to sustainability, reducing fruit production's environmental footprint and driving consumption of this healthy snacking option.

The company has 1,250 acres of apple orchards that are located no farther than 30 minutes from its Moses Lake, Washington campus, where it has a state-of-the-art controlled atmosphere storage facility that opened at the end of 2024 as well as a new processing facility on the campus, where the apples are processed. This ensures that the apples travel no more than 30 minutes from orchard to storage, where the apples can then be sliced on demand.

OSF's mission is to combine cutting-edge biotechnology with sustainable farming practices to produce high-quality fruits. The company is dedicated to environmental stewardship and implementing farming practices that preserve and enhance the natural ecosystem.

The Challenge: Reactive vs. Proactive Agriculture

The agricultural industry is confronted with numerous pressing challenges that threaten the sustainability of farming practices and the health of the environment.

Conventional farming practices often lead to soil degradation, including erosion, loss of organic matter, and depletion of essential nutrients, resulting in reduced soil fertility and productivity. Monoculture farming and the extensive use of chemical inputs have also led to a decline in biodiversity, affecting the resilience of ecosystems and reducing natural pest control mechanisms.

Dormant apple orchard with leafless trees and an overcast sky. This type of agriculture typically relies heavily on synthetic pesticides and herbicides, which can contaminate water sources, contribute to the development of resistant pest populations, and harm beneficial non-target organisms. Another challenge with using these chemicals is that pests are already well established when they can be visually detected. This means that to eradicate the pest population, harsher chemicals (and more of them) need to be applied to control the various pest populations to ensure no traces—that could lead to reinfestation—remain.

Conventional agriculture is also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change through practices such as soil tillage and the use of synthetic fertilizers to increase crop yield. The production and use of synthetic fertilizers (such as nitrogen) contributes to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide and methane into the atmosphere.

Recognizing these challenges, OSF sought to develop and implement regenerative agriculture practices that address these issues proactively, promoting the long-term health and productivity of their orchards.

The Solution: Informed Action

Okanagan Specialty Fruits has adopted a comprehensive approach to regenerative agriculture, focusing on practices that restore soil health, enhance biodiversity and promote sustainable resource use.

Included in its many sustainability initiatives, OSF works with software provided by Semios, which provides extensive data on what is happening in the field. Through various diagnostic tools, this program provides information that can help growers understand what actions need to be taken to mitigate adverse circumstances and develop a maintenance/prevention plan.

A symmetrical view of an orchard with rows of flowering trees under a blue sky. The data is gathered through multiple field tools, such as cameras, climate/weather stations, soil moisture stations, etc., and is captured in various dashboards within the program. The captured data (e.g., digital trap counts, etc.) is then run through models that determine what variants are going on in the orchard (i.e., what bugs are in the orchard and at what numbers) and helps determine when there is a need to spray or when an infestation of, for example, the oblique-banded leafroller moth is likely to happen.

“We'll know in advance what is going to happen and when, so we don't need to wait until it's already a population that is so big, it's going to take multiple sprays to control it,” says Joel Carter, Orchard Operations Manager at Okanagan Specialty Fruits.

The Semios program captures and returns invaluable points of data that can be downloaded into spreadsheets, providing insight on life cycles based on weather and other factors and used to overlay with available products to determine if, when and what specific spray to use to hit as many vectors as possible. Using this system allows OSF to spray less and alleviates the need to use harsh chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. The company has also incorporated AI to analyze its historical and current spray records to determine what was effective and what was not.

OSF employs Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies to manage pests using a combination of biological, cultural, and mechanical controls. Natural predators such as ladybugs and predatory mites have been introduced to control pest populations. Habitat manipulation, such as planting hedgerows and flowering strips, provides habitat for beneficial insects. OSF also uses pheromone traps and biocontrol agents to target specific pests, reducing the need for synthetic pesticides.

In addition, Okanagan Specialty Fruits plants cover crops such as clover, vetch, and rye during the off-season. These crops play a critical role in protecting the soil from erosion, improving soil structure, and increasing organic matter. Cover crops also contribute to soil fertility by amending nitrogen, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. Cover crops also provide habitat for many beneficial insects, enhancing biodiversity and natural pest control and as well keeps the block temperature down.

Minimizing soil disturbance is a cornerstone of the company's regenerative practices. Reduced tillage helps maintain soil structure, promotes the activity of beneficial microorganisms, and enhances water infiltration and retention. To combat the desert-like climate, OSF uses a chop and drop system. This leaves the thick orchard mat of moss, leaf cover, and branches undisturbed, which acts as a barrier against harsh elements such as sun and wind. It also holds the water down while preserving the organic matter and microbes beneath.

This practice is essential for nutrient cycling and overall soil health, leading to a more resilient and productive orchard. The company uses specialized equipment to implement reduced tillage techniques, ensuring the soil is disturbed as little as possible.

Access to better data also allows OSF to optimize its water programs, helping to minimize its water use. With the full modeling of soil moisture down to 24 inches, the company can perfectly target 75% soil moisture and ensure the orchard is not over or under watered via its drip irrigation system.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits incorporates compost and other organic materials, such as needle mulches and straw, into the soil to enrich it with vital nutrients and enhance microbial diversity. These amendments improve soil fertility, structure, and water-holding capacity. The company’s composting process involves using fruit waste, manure, and plant residues, which are carefully managed to produce high-quality compost that supports healthy plant growth and creates a circular economy.

OSF's regenerative practices have created a more diverse and balanced ecosystem within their orchards. The presence of diverse plant and animal species has improved natural pest control, reduced the need for chemical interventions, and promoted overall ecosystem health.

Through these regenerative practices, OSF is not only improving the sustainability of their farming operations but also contributing to broader environmental and social benefits.

An apple orchard with numerous trees in orderly rows under a blue sky with clouds.

The Takeaway: Future Forward Thinking

Okanagan Specialty Fruits' commitment to regenerative agriculture has yielded significant positive outcomes, demonstrating the potential for sustainable farming to address pressing environmental challenges.

Implementing cover cropping, reduced tillage, and organic amendments has led to healthier soils with increased organic matter, improved structure, and enhanced nutrient cycling. This has resulted in higher crop yields and better quality produce, which translates into greater profit.

By systematically analyzing field data, OSF has significantly reduced the need for synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which resulted in a cost reduction of approximately 17 percent, with a further reduction goal of 25 percent for 2025.

By enhancing soil health, OSF has improved the soil's ability to sequester carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation. Additionally, the use of IPM and reduced chemical inputs has reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional farming practices.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits continually seeks out new ways to increase its efficiency. The company regularly conducts energy audits and is currently endeavoring to become a zero-waste facility. In addition, OSF is implementing cutting-edge technologies to enhance its sustainability measures.

In the spring of 2025, Okanagan Specialty Fruits is introducing Nanobubble Technology that suspends oxygen and nitrogen in the water, which reduces the surface tension. This prevents root diseases from developing and spreading by increasing aerobic water conditions and making the environment less favorable to pathogens. Additionally, nanobubbles prevent and control biofilm, which is pervasive on all surfaces that come in contact with water and can harbor pathogens.

“One of the overarching themes of our company is that we're always seeking out the best tools to solve problems,” says Sarah Evanega, Vice President of Business Development at Okanagan Specialty Fruits. “Whether that's in the orchard or processing facility or whether that's in delivering a product that we know consumers are going to embrace. We're always looking for efficiencies that both reduce our footprint as well as the bottom line.”

Overall, Okanagan Specialty Fruits' implementation of regenerative agriculture practices serves as a model for the industry. It demonstrates that sustainable farming is not only achievable but also advantageous for the environment, the economy and society. As global agricultural challenges continue to mount, the practices adopted by Okanagan Specialty Fruits provide a roadmap for creating a more sustainable and resilient future in agriculture.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits Sustainability Case

Using Data-Driven Inputs for Sustainable Farming

The Challenge: Reactive vs. Proactive Agriculture

The Solution: Informed Action

The Takeaway: Future Forward Thinking

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