Progress 07/01/21 to 02/28/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences Small to Mid-sized farms growing leafy greens (including new and begininng farmers and socially/economically disadvantaged farmers) Value-added producers (including leafy green processing centers and commercial kitchens) Equipment manufacturers, retailers, and distributors Efforts Customer survey(s) Preliminary value chain assessments Alpha prototype design and development Changes/Problems:Changes to the Scope of Work or Personnel There were no changes to the scope of work. All project tasks were carried out on-time and on budget. One Johnny's staff member, Steve Whitworth, resigned from the company who was listed in the grant's personnel. This change did not impact the proposed work but did alter the budget as described in the following section. Changes to the Project Budget The company made necessary unanticipated changes to the project budget, specific to project personnel. Changes to the budget were less than 10% of the total award and therefore written request was waived per the award terms and conditions. Year 1 personnel changes included the following: Steve Whitworth, was removed from the project after resigning from the company in September. The company was in thehiring process for the position at the time andhis allotted hours were moved to the another project personnel member, Lauren Giroux (-$4,466.68). The company increased Lauren Giroux's funding line (+$4,466.68), as the PD assumed the hours and tasks of Mr. Whitworth. No travel funds were used, as originally budgeted and returend to the USDA. A table was provided in the interim techncal report submitted to the National Program Leader,outliningthe expenses and reimbursements made between July 1st 2021 and October 31st 2021. While the company made necessary personnel changes to complete the project without delay, the total budget remained unchanged, resulting in the successful completion of all tasks as outlined in the project's approved scope of work, without negative impact to project funding. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A full description of accomplishments is available in the final technical report submitted to our National Program Leader and the the Awards Management Division. The report, "An efficent greens spinner for improving food safety and increasing profitabilty for small to mid-size farms," includes all propiertay information (including videos and images of the alpha prototype). A condensed summart of completed tasks is listed below: Task 1: Determine Prototype Design Criteria We established the core design criteria for the electric greens spinner prototype and subsequent development of the prototype in Tasks 2 and 3. This task included four meetings in July (12th, 14th, 21st, and 27th) between the Project Director (PD), Bradford Waugh, and consultants Duncan Wood and Chris Callahan. An initial kick-off meeting facilitated by Johnny's Product Manager of Tools and wereviewed a product design brief created by Johnny's that included market contenders, basic stats, and an overview of the targeted conceptual design.The meeting resulted in an established list of relevant features and their hierarchical importance. Indications of importance were classified as "must", "should", and "may" have and the team walked through the concept and collected all feedback on various features required in the design criteria. Task 2: Component Design and Testing Protocol Task 2 expanded on the research completed in Task 1 by generating an equipment component database for all design criteria. The equipment database identified readily available components that can be used in the design of the prototype, as well as which components require manual construction or retrofitting. At this stage, Johnny's created the first version of a conceptual sketch of the prototype (see final report). The conceptual sketch was transformed into a virtual prototype upon completion of multiple iterations and reviews. The virtual prototype is used as a benchmark reference when establishing sanitation and organic certification requirements for use on farm and in commercial kitchens, as well as testing protocols for warranty restrictions. The virtual prototype was modified from the original concept shown in the final reportto include the following: Moved to 6 guide wheels (instead of 3) to properly control basket oscillation Modified drive system over to belt drive Incorporated a sheet metal fin array to capture the basket more securely Switched to a higher rpm motor to increase basket speed into necessary ranges These modifications were a result of the research findings and conceptual testing.This task also included the design of Johnny's in-shop and on-farm testing protocols. The protocol target included testing for speed, eccentric load in spinning basket, high levels of contamination from dirt and water, and elevated temperatures. Task 3: Prototype Development and Testing Based on the results of Tasks 1 and 2, Johnny's transformed the final conceptual design into a physical alpha prototype electric greens spinner. The prototype was constructed at Johnny's product design shop in Waterville, Maine. The prototype has a basket catch structure and a drainage hole near the bottom of the spinner that allows for water to leave the system. The spinner is equipped with a belt drive powered by a ½ H/P three-phase induction motor and controlled by a CFW300 AC drive unit. The prototype holds a standard food-grade plastic bushel basket, often referred to as a "shellfish basket." All images of the alpha prototype are available in the final technical report submitted to the Awards Management Division. Task 4: Logistics Assessment The PD, Johnny's Director of Operations, Jeff Hedge, and Johnny's Director of Product Selection of Training, Lauren Giroux, conducted a preliminary logistics assessment with assistance from the Atlantic Corporation (Atlantic), an agricultural business and economic research firm. The logistics assessment conducted in this task was used to complete the preliminary value chain analysis in Task 5. Johnny's identified the required manufacturing, assembly, shipping, and warehousing specifications at various volumes of the product as part of the logistics assessment. Johnny's also determined potential sourcing partners able to provide third-party logistics as needed. This task requires significant expansion in Phase II to successfully commercialize the product in early to mid-2024. Task 5: Preliminary Value Chain Analysis Mr. Hedge and Ms. Giroux conducted a preliminary value chain analysis with assistance from Atlantic, building off of the work completed in Task 4. The goal of the analysis was to identify the size, geographic location, and ability to scale a commercial greens spinner to existing and potential U.S. and foreign customers. As a part of this task, Johnny's began preliminary work to determine potential pricing structures for the commercial spinner at local, regional, and national farms. Johnny's worked with Atlantic to develop what-if scenarios to analyze possible CPU values using the data they gathered in Task 4. The what-if scenarios were built into an interactive tool using Microsoft PowerBI. The team was able to use the tool to compare the benchmark CPU (initial alpha prototype). The matrix tables and link to interactive tool are available in the final report submitted to the Awards Management Division. Task 6: Customer Survery In collaboration with Atlantic, Johnny's implemented a 17-question customer survey of 407 greens farmers to assess the market feasibility of a mid-capacity, electric greens spinner. The results of this survey were used to inform the preliminary pricing strategy in Task 5 and identify the ideal target customer - critical to the development of a successful commercialization plan. Conclusion In this Phase I effort, Johnny's developed and fabricated an alpha prototype of a mid-capacity, electric greens spinner. The spinner was designed with small to mid-size greens farms in mind, with the goal of being durable yet cost-effective and hygienically designed to prevent rusting, harboring of water, bacterial or mold growth, and cross-contamination of pathogens common to leafy greens. The tasks accomplished in this Phase I effort were completed by Johnny's with assistance from an extended network of food safety, agricultural engineering, manufacturing, and business development experts.Phase II research will expand on this effort by further optimizing the spinner inpreparation of commercialization through the development of a beta prototype. Johnny's will adapt design criteria for improved safety of the product to prevent dangerous use, modify ergonomics to provide better working access and improving portability, and explore an updated electronic user interface. Product considerations will be taken to optimize manufacturing processes, likely necessitating a rebuild of the prototype. The product will also be tested on-farms throughout New England and a life cycle analysis (LCA) will concurrently be conducted. Phase II will conclude with evaluations of the beta for necessary certifications with the consulting team before final testing is completed in a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

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