California Ag Network

Tag: California Pistachios

  • Improving Chill Accumulation to Boost Pistachio Yields

    Hoping to have a good winter, but concerned about chill accumulation in your pistachio orchard? Although you can’t control the weather, there are some things you can do to enhance chill accumulation in your orchard. Watch this brief interview with Gurreet Brar, pistachio plant physiologist at Fresno State, as he shares some insights based on his grower presentation at Malcolm Media’s annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo.  Read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.

  • Economic & Pest Damage Year in Review for California Pistachios

     

    What kinds of damage/losses did California pistachio growers incur this year? How was Navel Orangeworm, the industry’s most formidable pest? How about the international trade war? Can pistachios growers still get trade mitigation funding? Watch this brief video with American Pistachio Growers’ Executive Director Richard Matoian and read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.

  • Pistachio Supply & Demand Trends with Richard Matoian — Record Shipments

     

    At Malcolm Media’s annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo, Richard Matoian reported record high shipments of American pistachios in his State of the Pistachio industry address, despite the ongoing international trade dispute. Although this year is an “off-year” for the California pistachio industry, growers still managed to deliver large yields this season.  Watch this brief video with the Executive Director at American Pistachio Growers and read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.

  • Stormy Weather Sets Back California Tree Nut Growers

    After so many years of drought, it’s difficult for growers to complain about all the recent rain events that have been occurring throughout California; however, the abnormally significant amount of precipitation this past month has posed its share of challenges to tree nut growers that have been anxiously awaiting entry into their orchards to make their much needed fungicide sprays and fertilizer applications.  Some growers did suffer significant crop loss due to hail storms West of Tulare.  Watch this brief interview with Tulare County Almond/Pistachio grower Brian Watte, also current Chairman of American Pistachio Growers, as he discusses the impact of the recent storms.  Read more about it in the coming issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • American Pistachio Marketing Plans for 2019 to Include India

    With the largest pistachio crop ever in the west last year coupled with international trade issues, some might be concerned about prices and how to move such a large inventory; however, American Pistachio Growers (APG) reported that the demand is out there at their annual conference, and APG unveiled some exciting new marketing plans for the coming year, including a new market in India.  Watch this brief interview with Judy Hirigoyen from APG, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • 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.

  • When to Start Irrigating Young Pistachios in a Wet Year

    As growers have experienced a wet winter and early spring, it may be a little more difficult to determine exactly when to start irrigating their young pistachio trees. In some cases, they might also notice what appears to be a boron deficiency as the young trees start leafing out, which might actually just be a symptom of too much water in the soil. Watch this interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Bob Beede as he explains, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Record High Pistachio Acreage Planted in 2018

    Along with record high pistachio production in the western United States in 2018, a record number of acres were planted to pistachios as well last year. Is this good news or bad news for the pistachio industry? Watch this interview with American Pistachio Growers’ Executive Director Richard Matoian to find out, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • US Pistachio Exports Increase Despite International Trade Issues

    After the US pistachio industry brought in a record high pistachio crop last season, there were concerns as to how recent international trade issues would impact movement of this record crop; however, at the annual conference of American Pistachio Growers, Executive Director Richard Matoian shared positive news on recent domestic and export shipments. Watch Matoian’s brief interview and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Projections Point to 1.4 Billion Pounds of California Pistachios by 2026

    California’s burgeoning pistachio industry is on a trajectory to produce more than 1.4 billion pounds by 2026 according to a new economic study commissioned by American Pistachio Growers (APG).  Bountiful harvests predicted in the years ahead will present both new opportunities and challenges that APG and its member processors fully embrace amid positive consumption trends in the United States as well as in global markets.

    The study, conducted by agricultural economist Edmond Missiaen, projects annual California pistachio production from 2019-2026 based on new tree plantings in the past five years, a conservative projection of new plantings in the next three years, normal weather conditions and no major interruptions to water supplies.  Missiaen projects annual production could exceed 1.4 billion pounds by 2026 from a projected 392,595 bearing acres in California.  The study did not include production in Arizona and New Mexico which account for 1% of today’s total production.

    His prediction for new pistachio plantings in 2019 to 2021 are 15,000 acres annually, a figure based on average new plantings between 2005 and 2018 (15,886 acres). His data show growers planted an estimated 30,000 new acres in 2018. He also notes that his new planting forecasts do not account for uncertainties related to the availability, price or regulation of water in the years ahead, factors which would reduce the rate of new pistachio plantings.

    In arriving at his prediction for 1.4 billion pound crop by 2026, Missiaen estimates the production, acreage and yield for all bearing trees in their 6thyear and older, when pistachio trees usually produce their first saleable crop. His yield estimates projected for 2019-2026 are for fully mature acres and account for the cyclical nature of pistachio production as trees tend to produce large crops in on-years followed by smaller crops in off-years in the next season. His estimates are for 4,300 pounds per acre for on-years and 2,800 pounds per acre for off-years for fully mature trees. Missiaen’s forecast assumes this cyclical trend over the eight year period from 2019 to 2026, but he cautions against putting too much faith in that trend.

    “There were 13 off-years but only 10 on-years in the 23 years from 1996 through 2018,” noted Missiaen. He stated that it is likely that two successive off-years will occur once or twice during the 8 years projected. Should that occur, it could bring cumulative production for the 8-year projection period 400 million to 800 million pounds below the cumulative estimates during the 2019-2026 production.

     

    Bigger Pistachio Crops Continue Long Trend in California

    Only time will tell whether Missiaen’s production estimates are fully realized, but there is no discounting the fact that California’s pistachio industry continues to grow as does the popularity of pistachios as a healthy and nutritious snack. After gaining a foothold as a promising agricultural crop in California in the mid-1970s, the industry has steadily grown to become the number-one pistachio producer of the popular nut to global consumers.

    Bigger crops have become the norm for the California pistachio industry as production has risen 89 percent in the past eight years, from 2010’s harvest of 521.8 million pounds to the 986.7 million pounds gleaned from state orchards in 2018. As recent as 2005, production in California was 282.4 million pounds and bearing acreage had just surpassed 104,000 acres.

     

    Marketers Ready to Embrace Bigger Crops

    American-grown pistachios have become frequent topics in health publications and medical research studies that have touted their attributes in helping to manage body weight, controlling blood sugar and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

    “As the meteoric rise of U.S. pistachio production continues in California and other states it will require an intense and unrelenting focus on marketing future big crops, but we are confident that the myriad health benefits of pistachios and growing global demand for pistachios will keep our industry profitable,” said APG Vice President of Global Marketing Judy Hirigoyen.

    “In our view, the producers of American-grown pistachios are very well positioned in the marketplace to take advantage of the larger harvests coming in the future,” said APG Executive Director Richard Matoian. “There’s much work to be done in the marketing and government relations areas to capitalize on these encouraging consumer trends, but there is no doubt that this is an exciting time in our industry.”

    Missiaen’s economic study, U.S. Pistachio Future Production Projections 2019 to 2026 can be found here.

     

    Contact: Judy Hirigoyen

    DESK:  (559) 475-0435

    jhirigoyen@AmericanPistachios.org