On this week's edition of Behind the Greens, we're in Southern California's Kern County for a closeup on carrot harvesting.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">With the introduction of baby-cut carrots to the market, carrot consumption has increased rapidly in the last several years, and the miniature carrots have helped to expand the category. Baby-cut carrots start out as long, tubular carrots that are between 7 and 10 inches in length. Great pains are taken in pest management. Nematodes are a microscopic worm that cause extensive damage to carrots by deforming them during the growth period. Here in California's sunny Kern County, carrots are grown 365 days a year thanks to an excellent microclimate.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Carrots grow well in sandy loam soil. Carrot crops are rotated every three years, in order to maintain quality and assist in disease control. They are harvested twice a year; during the harvest, the specialized harvester moves in only one direction - harvesting the windward sides of the carrots means greater yield and fewer broken carrots. <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The harvester digs up the carrots in even rows and pulls and the carrots on board. The dirt is removed, and the carrot tops are cut off. The topped carrots are then taken up an elevator to a trailer. Once the trailer is full, it is taken to the nearby processing facility, where the carrots are cut into 2 inch pieces, which are then referred to as baby-cut carrots.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
