Watch this brief interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Brent Holtz as he talks about a new tool to fight the tree-killing phytophthora crown and root rot in almond, and be sure to read his monthly Almond Tasks column in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Many almond growers have heard their peers, as well as others with interest in improving pollinator habitat and soil health, endorse the planting of cover crops to accomplish those goals.
Those same growers may have wondered if money spent on seeds and labor as well as the cost of time to manage cover crops truly pay off. Can the economic benefit of cover crops accurately be measured and, if so, what is the return on that investment (ROI)?
The Almond Board of California (ABC) – in an effort to directly address questions about the ROI of cover crops – recently completed a case study of one orchard in Stanislaus County where cover crops have been planted for a decade. The case study relied on a calculator system developed by the American Farmland Trust.
Michael Roots, ABC’s specialist for field outreach and education, worked with grower Christine Gemperle to evaluate the ROI of cover crops on 20 acres of her 40-acre orchard near Ceres. The result was an easy-to-read two-page document now available for other growers to review. 
A combination of published machinery and material cost estimates and data supplied by Gemperle was used to estimate the cost of operations, on average, before and after cover crops were planted. The analysis was limited to only those income and cost variables affected by cover crop adoption.
The bottom line? Gemperle’s net income per acre grew by $499 annually, for a total of $9,976 for the 20 acres. That works out to an ROI of 459% based on the $1,516 average cost of seeds plus the value of her time ($655) each year to fine tune the process.
Gemperle’s trees were 9 years old when she first planted cover crops in 2012. Thanks to meticulously kept records, she credits cover crops for increasing yield by about 8% while, at the same time, reducing her pesticide and herbicide costs.
Her strategy – which has evolved through the years – is relatively simple. She plants cover crops in every other row, usually by early October. She waters those seeds during her last post-harvest irrigation of the fall. She uses the “clean” rows – those without cover crop seeds – to remove mummy nuts and prune. Once those tasks are finished, she plants her other cover crop seeds down those rows as well, usually by early December.
In addition to creating an inviting habitat for honeybees and other natural pollinators, Roots said Gemperle has reduced weed populations, improved soil moisture retention and reduced pesticide applications. She’s also saved money on labor.
“The diversity of weeds she’s seen has decreased so a lot of the hard-to-kill weeds have disappeared as the cover crop has taken over. She doesn’t have to spray as often and she doesn’t have to use as much material,” Roots explained. “She also doesn’t spray in May for mites because of all the beneficial insects that her cover crops host.”
Gemperle also has observed that her trees are more resilient, less prone to leaf drop and less prone to wilting during harvest.
“She’s found a good way to be cost-effective and get the job done in an economic manner. Especially since she’s doing all the work herself,” Roots said.
Roots added reaching out to the Almond Board or American Farmland Trust to participate in a case study can be a good way for a grower interested in determining the ROI of their existing, or potential future, cover crops. It can be used to determine the ROI of their own orchards as each situation is likely to be unique.
“Everybody implements cover crops a little differently,” he said.
Growers interested in the American Farmland Trust’s soil health calculator can learn more at the organization’s website. — By the Almond Board of California
More school children and others benefitting from food nutrition programs all across the country will enjoy California almonds this year, thanks to their inclusion in federal ag marketing efforts.
A USDA program known as Section 32 allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy surplus ag commodities to distribute through various federally subsidized food programs.
The almond industry doesn’t always have surplus inventory, but a couple of big crop years combined with pandemic-related shipping issues that delayed nuts being sent to overseas markets created the perfect conditions this year for almonds to participate in the federal program.
“In recent history, it happened once (in 2020) because of some pandemic pressures, but other than that, it’s been quite a while since there was an almond purchase,” explained Brock Densel, who works as part of the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team.
As many as 26.2 million pounds of almonds could find their way into this year’s federal food programs. That means millions of American K-12 students who benefit from free or subsidized meals at their schools, as well as people of all ages who depend upon food banks or assistance programs, will be able to get a taste of California almonds.
The federal program is run through the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which administers a number of feeding programs. Qualifying for the Section 32 purchase program can be complex, but once approved, commodities brokers – or in the case of almonds, handlers – are able to bid on specific orders. Handlers can establish their own appropriate price point and low bid wins.
The deadline for handlers to submit bids was Aug. 31.
“Section 32 often relies on lower priced commodities,” Densel explained. “Typically, almonds haven’t had the market conditions to justify a USDA purchase.”
The Almond Board worked with its partners at the Almond Alliance to convince the USDA to include almonds in this year’s Section 32 program, and to revisit the specifications to allow broader participation. The Almond Alliance is allowed to lobby government agencies and elected officials on behalf of the industry, something the ABC cannot do as part of the marketing order.
Once almonds received the go-ahead, the Almond Board held a virtual training in June for interested almond handlers to explain the Section 32 rules and how the process works.
“Because this is such an infrequent opportunity for almonds – as opposed to other commodities or other tree nuts like walnuts – there’s not really the institutional knowledge of how to go through this whole process,” Densel said. “Here at the Almond Board, that’s certainly one of the things that we felt we could do, to help our industry members understand the requirements.”
Though inclusion in the Section 32 program is not something handlers can expect in most years, it can be a sensible alternative when almond inventories are up and USDA puts out a bid.
“At a time we’re seeing the challenges the almond industry is facing to market larger crops, Section 32 certainly provides an alternative destination and one that is logistically easier under shipping current conditions,” Densel said. — By the Almond Board of California
As pistachio acreage continues to increase throughout the state, American Pistachio Growers has commissioned Land IQ to get an aerial perspective of where the industry currently stands with regard to both crop yield and water supply reliability amidst a persisting drought. Watch this brief interview with Joel Kimmelshue from Land IQ as he explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
While pistachios are a relatively drought tolerant crop, growers are naturally concerned about cutting back on irrigation amidst the ongoing drought. Watch this brief interview with UC Cooperative Extension Specialist Giulia Marino as she shares how to appropriately cut back on irrigation without negatively impacting crop yield. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
While California farmers are taking more interest in opportunities for on-farm groundwater recharge to mitigate the effects of the drought, some tree nut growers may be hesitant to the idea of flooding their orchards over the winter months, concerned it may have a negative impact on the health of their trees and practices, such as cover cropping. The Almond Board recently released a groundwater recharge guide to address some of these concerns. Watch this brief interview with Jesse Roseman from the Almond Board as he shares some insights from the guide and positive results from recent studies on the topic. Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Combined sales of walnut trees to California growers were 6,444 acres for the 2021 crop year and 10,650 acres for the 2020 crop year. The majority of tree sales in 2021 were Seedlings, at 62% of new plantings. The Chandler variety came in second at 30%. For 2020, Seedlings were the largest percentage of new plantings at 58%, with the Chandler variety coming in second at 35%. The remaining percentages by variety can be seen in the pie charts. Based on reported nursery sales data, planted walnut acreage for year 2021 was down by 12,471 acres from just five years prior. The table below reveals a steady downward trend in walnut nursery sales in the last several years, likely correlated with increased global competition, softening prices and drought conditions in the state.
OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of the California Walnut Nursery Sales Report survey is to estimate planted acres by variety for the 2020 and 2021 crop years based on the number of walnut trees sold for new plantings. This report summarizes data supplied by California nurseries throughout the State who sold to walnut growers for commercial plantings. Results from this survey will be used in conjunction with the Walnut Acreage Survey to estimate the walnut acres in California.
PROCEDURES
Questionnaires were mailed to all known walnut nurseries in California, and responses were received from most operations. Nurseries that did not report data were estimated. The nurseries were asked to report the number of trees sold by variety for commercial plantings, and to estimate the percentage of trees sold for new plantings. Acres planted by variety were then estimated based on the data reported. Acre estimates were calculated using the reported number of trees sold, along with the trees per acre by variety from the Walnut Acreage Survey.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The USDA, NASS Pacific Regional Office sincerely appreciates the nurseries for providing the information. A special thanks goes to the California Walnut Board for providing funding and support for this special Walnut Nursery Sales Report survey.
The new Board of Directors of the Almond Board of California (ABC) took their seats this week with four voting members beginning new terms to help guide ABC’s support of one of California’s most important crops.
Board members, whose terms officially began Aug. 1, also elected Alexi Rodriguez as chair and re-elected George Goshgarian Jr. as vice chair.
“Our industry is facing many challenges right now,” said Rodriguez. “I’m looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated board and organization. I believe we have the resources and experience to navigate these complicated times.”
The 10-member ABC board has five grower members – three representing independent growers and two representing cooperative growers – and five handler members, also with three independent and two co-op representatives. Some members sit in three-year seats, others in one-year positions.
The grower representatives elected or re-elected in this year’s elections are:
The handler representatives were re-elected in both positions this year. They are:
In addition, the board has three alternates elected or re-elected this year:
This is the full board:
VOTING MEMBERS TERM
Grower #1: Paul Ewing, RPAC, LLC 1 year
Grower #2: Brandon Rebiero, Gold Leaf Farming 3 years
Grower #3: Joe Gardiner, Treehouse California Almonds, LLC 3 years
Handler #1: Alexi Rodriguez, Campos Brothers 3 years
Handler #2: Bob Silveira, Vann Family Orchards 3 years
Handler #3: Darren Rigg, Minturn Nut Co. Inc. 1 year
Co-op Grower #1: George Goshgarian Jr., Goshgarian Farming Co. 3 years
Co-op Grower #2: Christine Gemperle, Gemperle Orchards 3 years
Co-op Handler #1: Mel Machado, Blue Diamond Growers 3 years
Co-op Handler #2: Alicia Rockwell, Blue Diamond Growers 3 years
ALTERNATES
Grower #1: Katie Staack-Dorsett, Grizzly Nut, LLC
Grower #2: Vacant
Grower #3: Chris Bettencourt, Suvik Farms
Handler #1: Ron Fisher, Fisher Nut Company
Handler #2: Dexter Long, Hilltop Ranch, Inc.
Handler #3: Chad DeRose, Famoso Nut Company, LLC
Co-op Grower #1: Kelli Evans, Evans Farming
Co-op Grower #2: Kent Stenderup, Stenderup Ag Partners
Co-op Handler #1: Mark Jansen, Blue Diamond Growers
Co-op Handler #2: Dean LaVallee, Blue Diamond Growers
The ABC board sets policy and approves budgets in major areas, including production research, public relations and advertising, nutrition research, statistical reporting, quality control and food safety.
ABC is a Federal Marketing Order dedicated to promoting California almonds to domestic and international audiences through marketing efforts and by funding and promoting studies about almonds’ health benefits, as well as ensuring sustainable agricultural practices and food safety.
About California Almonds
California almonds make life better by what we grow and how we grow. The Almond Board of California promotes natural, wholesome and quality almonds through leadership in strategic market development, innovative research, and accelerated adoption of industry best practices on behalf of the more than 7,600 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, ABC is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit Almonds.com or check out California Almonds on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and the California Almonds blog.
Can an increasing Chinese appetite for U.S. grown pistachios help overcome trade barriers? Possibly, but watch this brief interview with American Pistachio Growers’ in-country trade representative Roger Zhang as he shares pistachio consumer trends in China. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
The Indian market is a relatively new one for U.S. pistachios, yet has tremendous potential as American Pistachio Growers continues to invest in it. Watch this brief interview with American Pistachio Growers’ in-country trade representative Summit Saran as he explains. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.