Category: Nut Industry

Sterile Insect Facility to Aid Growers with Navel Orangeworm Management

Researchers and growers are tackling the formidable tree nut pest Navel Orangeworm from all fronts. One method underway is in utilizing the same sterile insect technology and facility that eradicated pink bollworm from the cotton industry years ago. There have been some challenges in adapting the system for Navel Orangeworm, as shared by Bob Klein from the Pistachio Research Board; however there is great potential for this program to aid growers in managing this pest. Watch this brief interview with Bob and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

April 26, 2019
Concern for Navel Orangeworm Mating Disruption

Navel Orangeworm has become a serious pest in California for many agricultural commodities, especially for tree nuts. Mating disruption technology has proven to be a critical tool in managing this pest; however some growers may have concerns with utilizing this technology on their farms. Check out this brief interview with Brad Higbee, now Field Research & Development Manager for Trece, Inc. as he works with growers to overcome concerns and clear up any misconceptions regarding this novel technology in the nut industry.

April 26, 2019
California Almond Acreage Increases in 2018

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that California’s almond acreage continued to increase in 2018. Bearing acres, or orchards that have matured enough to produce a crop, are reported at 1.09 million acres, which is up 6 percent from 2017. Total almond acres for 2018 is estimated at 1.39 million acres, up 2 percent from the previous year.

With this increase, almond growers remain committed to continuous improvement, finding ways to responsibly produce more almonds to meet global and domestic demand (30% of total shipments of California almonds are shipped domestic). Last year, the Almond Board of California (ABC) Board of Directors prioritized industry resources in four key areas that will ensure almonds remain as leaders in California agriculture as they work towards producing an economically, environmentally and socially responsible crop. These four key areas – water use, harvest dust reduction, environmentally friendly pest management, zero waste – ladder up to the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, whichbuild upon a history of significant industry achievements. For example, over the past two decades growers have reduced the amount of water it takes to grow a pound of almonds by 33%.

In addition to achievements in the orchard, on the processing side there have been zero outbreaks of foodborne illness attributed to California almonds since the rollout of a groundbreaking pasteurization program a decade ago. In fact, earlier this month the Almond Board was selected to receive the GMA Food Safety Award from the International Association for Food Protection, in recognition of the Board’s “preeminence in and contributions to the field of food safety.”

“The California almond industry continues to prove itself as a leader in responsible practices, from the orchard to the processor,” said Almond Board President and CEO Richard Waycott. “The Almond Orchard 2025 Goals act as a guidepost on our journey towards continued advancement and innovation throughout the industry. With the latest acreage numbers, we’re confident in our ability to continue to meet global demand and to provide the world with a high-quality product.”

On Friday, May 10, 2019, NASS will release the 2019 Subjective Report, which provides an initial forecast of the upcoming crop. Data for the Subjective Report is based on opinions obtained from almond growers in a survey sent by NASS. Almond growers will soon receive the NASS survey and are encouraged to participate. For more information, growers may contact Bryce Spycher at bspycher@almondboard.com.

About the Almond Board of California

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 6,800 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States 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.

April 25, 2019

California Walnut Commission Electing New Members

This year the California Walnut Commission will be holding elections for members and alternates for the term beginning September 1, 2019 and ending August 31, 2021.

“The diversity of our growing and evolving membership brings valuable perspective to industry. The CWC in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomes participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities,” said Michelle McNeil Connelly, CEO of the California Walnut Commission.

Following are the specifications for the election:

Every two years the Commission law provides for the nomination of 13 members and 13 alternates that will be appointed by the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture.

The following is a list of the member and corresponding alternate positions for the Commission:

Eight Producer Members (four from each district, see below)
Four Handler Members
One public member (nominated by 12 elected members)

All producers and handlers participating in the election must complete a nomination form in order for their name to appear on the ballot. The nomination period is May 1-31. All producer candidates must return the form with at least 15 eligible grower signatures. All handler candidates must submit a petition with at least five other handler signatures.

We anticipate that ballots will be mailed to growers and handlers in late June. The election results will most likely be announced in August.

District 1 is comprised of counties in the state that lie north of a line drawn on the south boundaries of San Mateo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Calaveras and Alpine counties. District 2 consists of all other walnut producing counties in the state south of this boundary line.

If you have any questions please feel free to call the CWC office at (916) 932-7070.

About California Walnut Commission

The California Walnut Commission, established in 1987, is funded by mandatory assessments of the growers. The Commission is an agency of the State of California that works in concurrence with the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The CWC is mainly involved in health research and export market development activities. For more industry information, health research and recipe ideas, visit www.walnuts.org.

April 19, 2019

New Research Explores Walnuts & Mental Health

Over the past decade, the California Walnut Commission (CWC) has been conducting research on walnuts and various aspects of cognitive health. A new epidemiological study from Dr. Lenore Arab of UCLA, is the first time the CWC has looked at symptoms of depression, and suggests consuming walnuts may be associated with a lower prevalence and frequency of depression symptoms among American adults¹. Researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which draws from a large sampling of the U.S. population. After evaluating study participants for depression, researchers found that depression scores were 26% lower for walnut consumers and 8% percent lower for consumers of other nuts, compared to those who did not consume nuts at all.

More than 26,000 American adults were asked about their dietary intake over the course of one to two days as well as depression symptoms over the past two weeks. Using a widely accepted questionnaire, participants ranked how often they experienced factors such as little interest in doing things, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, feeling tired or having little energy, and trouble concentrating. According to the findings, walnut consumers were more likely to have greater interest in activities, higher energy levels, less hopelessness (for women), better concentration, and greater optimism.

“According to the CDC, one out of every six adults will have depression at some time in their life. It is important to find low-cost interventions, such as dietary changes, that are easy to implement and may help reduce the incidence of depression,” says lead investigator, Dr. Lenore Arab of the David Geffen School of Medicine at The University of California, Los Angeles.

“Walnuts have previously been investigated for their potential role in cardiovascular and cognitive health, and now we see an association with depression symptoms – providing another reason to include them in a healthy eating plan.”

As with any scientific research, some study limitations should be considered. Due to the cross-sectional observational nature of the study, the findings cannot prove causality and are subject to the risk of diet changing after a diagnosis occurs in response to the condition. Depression may also change typical appetite and eating behaviors resulting in apparent associations that are not causal. In addition, participants were asked about their dietary choices over the course of one to two days, which may not be representative of usual consumption patterns.

April 17, 2019
Almond Board Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Food Safety

The Almond Board of California (ABC) has been selected to receive the GMA Food Safety Award from the International Association for Food Protection, in recognition of the Board’s “preeminence in and contributions to the field of food safety.” The award comes after nearly 50 years of Almond Board-funded research and innovation leading to numerous improvements in the way almonds are harvested and handled to ensure safety.

“This award is the culmination of many years and countless hours of work by ABC staff, researchers, and industry leaders to elevate California almonds to an honored, best of class, position in the field of food safety,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board. “While much of this work often goes on out of the view of the public eye, this recognition will shed some much-deserved light on the work of the dedicated team of food safety professionals at the Almond Board and our colleagues in the industry.”

ABC’s submission for the award detailed nearly five decades of research and advancements in food safety funded by the almond industry through the Almond Board.

“ABC is honored to be the recipient of the 2019 GMA Food Safety Award in recognition of our long- term commitment to food safety, and we are truly humbled to be included in the long line of extremely worthy past recipients,” said Tim Birmingham, ABC director of Quality Assurance and Industry Services. “Food safety is a cornerstone of what we do. Since the early 2000s, ABC has been focused on producing the highest quality, safest crop possible through research, food safety programs and industry wide education. We will continue to look for ways to improve, and share what we know, to help ensure the integrity of tree nuts and low moisture foods in general to protect consumers around the world.”

The most recent advances in almond safety began in 2007 with the establishment of the mandatory pasteurization program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. Since the implementation of the self-imposed pasteurization program there have been no reported foodborne illnesses related to almond consumption.

“The credit for this award really belongs to the almond growers and handlers who invested their hard earned dollars in the research and the ABC Board of Directors’ willingness to make difficult decisions that put the good of the industry ahead of individual concerns,” said Birmingham. “But while the award is nice recognition, the real payoff is in the foodborne illnesses that have been prevented by the collective efforts of the industry, demonstrating our commitment to food safety from the orchard to the consumer.”

The GMA Food Safety Award is sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and will be presented on Wednesday, July 24, at IAFP 2019 in Louisville, Ky.

About the Almond Board of California

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 6,800 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States 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.

April 11, 2019
Trade Mitigation Funding for CA Walnut Export Market Development

The California Walnut Commission has the opportunity to continue its efforts to expand export market development with the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP). Through a competitive grant process, the CWC was awarded $4.1 million in MAP funds on February 6, 2019. The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) partners with U.S. agricultural trade associations, cooperatives, state regional trade groups and small businesses to share the costs (by matching dollars) of overseas marketing and promotional activities that help build commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products and commodities.

This is on the heels of the January 31, 2019 announcement awarding the CWC $1.6 million in additional funding through the Agriculture Trade Promotion Program (ATP) to conduct activities that would augment and expand current export promotion activities. Administered by USDA’s FAS, the ATP is one of three USDA programs within the Trump Administration’s trade mitigation package announced last year, created to provide relief to farmers suffering from the effects of recent trade retaliation against U.S. farmers and exporters. With the industry facing challenges in some key markets due to tariff actions over the past year, additional resources like ATP funds are critical to bolster and expand export markets. As part of the trade mitigation package, the USDA will purchase $34.6 million in walnuts through the Food Purchase and Distribution Program which will remove volume from the market and shore up wholesale prices.

California walnut growers have a long history of recognizing the value of export market development. The California walnut industry has grown in the past decade with production nearly doubling since 2007. MAP and ATP funds allow the Commission to develop and execute integrated marketing programs to increase awareness of walnuts grown in California, drive retail purchase, and educate food manufacturers, chefs and other key decision makers on how to incorporate California walnuts into their product and menu offerings.

April 10, 2019
FDA Announces Enforcement Discretion Policy for Almonds in Action Applauded by the Almond Alliance

We have goods news on the FSMA front. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated the regulatory process to put almonds on the “rarely consumed raw” list. After years of discussions with the Almond Alliance and the Almond Board of California as to why almonds should be on the “rarely consumed raw” list given the self-imposed pasteurization rule, FDA moved to make this a reality.

The California almond industry is a leader in food safety and through education and FDAs understanding on industry practices and requirements, we have worked together to prevent unnecessary regulation for our industry.

The Almond Alliance President Elaine Trevino said the FDA action, “This is significant for the California almond industry. The leadership at FDA has accepted the information and evidence that almonds are in fact rarely consumed raw. The industry went through an exhaustive process many years ago to get its pasteurization rule approved. We are pleased the FDA listened to the science and evidence that we presented and took the appropriate action in placing almonds on the rarely consumed raw list.”

In 2015, FDA created the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FSMA consists of seven regulations and one of which applies to almond growers, the Produce Safety Rule. The “Produce Safety Rule,” provides standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fruits and vegetables for human consumption. Since 2015, the Almond Alliance has been advocating on behalf of the California almond industry, explaining the pasteurization rule and why California almonds should be included on the “rarely consumed raw” list.

Trevino thanked the Almond Board of California for its work in providing scientific research in support of the FDA’s action to place almonds on the “rarely consumed raw” list, singling out Tim Birmingham Director of Quality Assurance and Industry Services for the Almond Board, for his work.

The Produce Safety Rule establishes science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fruits and vegetables for human consumption. The rule does not apply to produce that is considered to be rarely consumed raw (RCR), grown for personal or on-farm consumption, or not a raw agricultural commodity. Commodities considered to be RCR are those that the FDA has determined are typically cooked before consumption. Almond Alliance will continue to educate and encourage safe food and growing practices.

About the Almond Alliance of California

The Almond Alliance of California (AAC) was formerly the Almond Hullers and Processors Association and is a trusted non-profit organization with a mission of advocating on behalf of the Almond industry in California. AAC actively advocates for the positions of almond growers, hullers, shellers, handers and processors, while educating the industry about upcoming and existing regulatory changes. Through workshops, newsletters, conferences and meetings, AAC serves as a clearing house of information that informs the almond industry and continues to position the industry as an agricultural leader in the state.

April 1, 2019
Deciphering the Walnut Genome

California produces 99 percent of the walnuts grown in the United States. New research could provide a major boost to the state’s growing $1.6 billion walnut industry by making it easier to breed walnut trees better equipped to combat the soil-borne pathogens that now plague many of California’s 4,800 growers.

In a new study, a team of scientists at the University of California, Davis, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) used a unique approach to sequence the genomes of the English walnut and its wild North American relative by tapping into the capabilities of two state-of-the-art technologies: long-read DNA sequencing and optical genome mapping. The resulting genome sequences are believed to be of the highest quality ever assembled of any woody perennial.

“By sequencing the genome of a walnut hybrid, we produced complete genome sequences for both parents in the time normally required to produce the sequence of one genome,” said Ming-Cheng Luo, leading genomics investigator on the project and a research geneticist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis.

This approach could be applied to genome sequencing of trees and many other woody perennials, opening the door to a better understanding of the genetic blueprints of almonds, pecans, pistachios and grapes.

“Like walnut, these other crops naturally cross-pollinate and are therefore highly variable,” said Jan Dvorak, co-principle investigator and genetics professor at the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. “Variability has always greatly complicated our ability to produce a high-quality genome sequence for such crops, but these new technologies now make it possible,” Dvorak added.

In California, walnuts are grown commercially using rootstocks chosen specifically for their ability to tolerate various soil-borne diseases. “We chose to cross the widely used English walnut specifically with the wild Texas Black walnut because of its native resistance to several soil-borne diseases and root nematodes, which are serious pests of walnut in California” said Dan Kluepfel, a USDA-ARS scientist and principal investigator of the walnut-rootstock development project.

The assembled genome sequences of the two walnut species also will now help researchers identify genetic markers that breeders can use to develop new varieties with improved pathogen and pest resistance.

Major contributors to the project included UC Davis scientists Tingting Zhu, Le Wang, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist Frank You.

The study was published online today in Horticulture Research. The research was funded by the California Walnut Board and the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The study can be found here.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

March 29, 2019
Young Pistachio Orchard Nutrient Management 101 with Bob Beede

When is it too late to plant a pistachio orchard? How do you properly care for these young trees and ensure they get all nutrients they need to someday become healthy high yielding trees? Watch the interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Bob Beede as he answers these questions, and read more about it in Bob’s monthly pistachio Orchard Tasks column in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

March 27, 2019

Category: Nut Industry

About the Almond Alliance of California