In the midst of favorable growing conditions, California walnut growers are reporting outstanding early-season conditions that point to a positive outlook for the 2025 crop, according to industry experts monitoring the state’s orchards.
Following three consecutive years of average to above-average rainfall and snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, California walnut orchards are beginning the growing season with adequate surface water and replenished soil profiles. These favorable conditions, coupled with ideal spring temperatures, have created an environment for strong bloom and early shoot development.
“Things are shaping up to be a tremendously good start to California’s walnut growing season,” said Davin Norene, owner of Big Time Farming and walnut growing specialist. “We are predicting good things ahead of this year’s crop.”
Early walnut varieties began bud break in mid-April, with all varieties, including Chandler, now showing strong shoot growth throughout California’s prime growing regions. The orchards are currently in a critical growth phase, setting the stage for healthy nut development throughout the season.
“The exceptional start to this growing season is a welcome and energizing reprieve after navigating a series of tough seasons that demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of California’s walnut industry,” said Robert Verloop, executive director and CEO of the California Walnut Board & Commission. “This spring, growers are well-positioned to capitalize on ideal soil moisture and perfect temperatures, setting the stage for strong yield and quality in the 2025 crop.”
For more information on the California walnut industry, visit walnuts.org.
About the California Walnut Board & Commission
The California Walnut Board (CWB) and California Walnut Commission (CWC) represent more than 3,700 California walnut growers and approximately 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California.
The CWB, established in 1948, promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research. The CWC, established in 1987, is involved in health research with consuming walnuts as well as domestic and export market development activities.
To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org.
Walnuts meet the updated definition for a “healthy” food based on the important role they play in recommended dietary patterns, according to the much-anticipated announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detailing a new definition for foods that can be identified or labeled as “healthy.”1
This announcement, originally previewed in 2022 on the heels of the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, is a significant step toward ensuring food labeling is consistent with the most up-to-date nutrition scientific evidence and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations to support individuals and families in building healthy eating patterns.
“The inclusion of walnuts in the new “healthy” definition affirms consumers’ belief that walnuts are a healthy food.* It also aligns with decades of nutrition research reinforcing the important contributions walnuts can make in a healthy lifestyle,” shared Robert Verloop, chief executive officer for the California Walnut Commission.
“It’s simple. Just adding walnuts to Americans’ daily diet can potentially have wide-ranging positive impacts.”
The 2020-2025 DGA encourage consumers to choose foods that are nutrient-dense, such as nuts, including walnuts. However, close to two-thirds of Americans do not meet the recommended intake for nuts and seeds.2,3
Encouraging walnuts as a substitution for food choices higher in saturated fat can help support recommendations to replace intake of saturated with unsaturated fats, as strongly advised by the recently-released 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report.4 The total fat in walnuts (18g) is mostly comprised of polyunsaturated fats (13g/oz), including omega-3 ALA (2.5g/oz), an essential fatty acid with potential to support heart health and cognition.5-7 Walnuts are the only tree nut to provide an excellent source of omega-3 ALA.8
“In my 20 plus years of practicing nutrition at a major medical institution, I have seen trends go in and out for what the public considers healthy. But what has always been foundational is the role plant-based foods like walnuts play in supporting health. Walnuts are one nut I find consistently meets the variable needs of patients in my practice,” states Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN and author. “In practice, I focus on evidence-based approaches to reducing chronic disease risk, weight management, and improvements in metabolic health.”
Walnuts qualifying as a “healthy” food is just one major milestone in a series of similar recognitions. A recent ruling, earlier in 2024, by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), ‘Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,’ will make it easier for schools to serve plant-protein rich meals and snacks that include walnuts. Using ingredients like walnuts can help reformulate meal favorites to be healthier, while also supporting vegetarian diets and other food preferences. Additionally, for the first time, states are now allowed to include walnut butter as part of the latest WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)package updates.
These new inclusions and acknowledgements of the role of walnuts in healthy dietary patterns are due, in part, to the more than 30 years of evidence-based global health and nutrition research funded by the California Walnut Commission. This growing body of research has uncovered many potential benefits of consuming walnuts within healthy dietary patterns across various ages and life stages to maximize health and well-being, including promising research into heart health, cognition, cancer, gut health, body weight, and reproductive health.
Walnuts are extremely versatile and convenient, adding nutrition to dishes at every meal, as well as simple snacks. For more information about the nutritional benefits of California walnuts, along with delicious recipe inspiration, please visit walnuts.org.
About the California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission (CWC) represents more than 4,600 California walnut growers and approximately 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California. The CWC, established in 1987, promotes usage of walnuts through domestic and export market development activities as well as supports health research with consuming walnuts.
To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visitwalnuts.org.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
Analysis of What We Eat in America, NHANES 2013-2016, ages 1 and older, 2 days dietary intake data, weighted. Recommended Intake Ranges: Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Patterns.
2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2024. Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Advisory Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sala-Vila A, Fleming J, Kris-Etherton P, Ros E. Impact of alpha-linolenic acid, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, on cardiovascular disease and cognition [published ahead of print February 16, 2022]. Advances in Nutrition. doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmac016.
Naghshi S, Aune D, Beyene J, et al. Dietary intake and biomarkers of alpha linolenic acid and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. BMJ. 2021;375:n2213. doi:10.1136/bmj.n2213.
Barceló-Coblijn G, Murphy EJ. Alpha-linolenic acid and its conversion to longer chain n3 fatty acids: Benefits for human health and a role in maintaining tissue n-3 fatty acid levels. Prog Lipid Res. 2009;48(6):355-74. Doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2009.07.002.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. Fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Did you miss the State of the Walnut Industry address at Malcolm Media’s recent Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo in Fresno or the Tree & Vine Expo in Turlock? Following his presentation, Robert Verloop, CEO of the California Walnut Board & Commission met with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share highlights from this year’s walnut harvest and improving global market conditions. Watch this brief interview, and read the full State of the Industry report in the coming issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Fall is here, and the California Walnut Commission is pleased to provide a mid-harvest update on the 2024 walnut crop. With harvest progressing smoothly, we are excited to share some positive developments.
While early varieties of California walnuts are nearing completion, the California-developed Chandler variety is at the peak of harvest and the industry is pleased with the quality of this year’s crop. Reports indicate that the walnut crop held up well to the summer temperatures, which were less severe than temperatures seen in 2022. The Chandler variety, which represents over 65% of the California industry acreage, shows excellent color and condition. With the continual advancement of optical sorters and enhanced inspections, processors can remove imperfect walnuts prior to the final pack and provide the high quality product customers expect.
Gary Thiara, President and CEO of Empire Nut Company
Gary Thiara, President and CEO of Empire Nut Company, stated, “The quality of walnuts this year is very good and meets the high expectations of our global buyers.”
Additionally, demand for California walnuts is strong with early bookings for new crop already shipping to many global markets. The robust demand underscores the recognition of California walnuts as a premium product.
In addition to providing a world class product, food safety is a top priority for the California walnut industry. Our walnuts are grown, harvested, and processed under stringent regulations, adhering to both federal and state food safety regulations. This commitment to food safety ensures that consumers receive a high-quality, safe product.
The 2024 estimated crop size of 670,000 tons (607,814 MT), while moderate, is large enough to meet the current demands. The California Walnut Commission continues its efforts to expand and develop export markets, building more consumer excitement for premium, nutritious California walnuts around the world. We look forward to the successful completion of the harvest and continuing to meet the high demand for our walnuts.
Note: The official 2024 California walnut crop production will be released in January 2025.
About the California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission (CWC) represent more than 4,600 California walnut growers and nearly 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California. The CWC, established in 1987, is involved in health research with consuming walnuts as well as domestic and export market development activities.
To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org.
California walnut growers are expecting a shorter crop this year, but high quality product. With a lower carry-in inventory, things are looking more positive in the market ahead. Watch this brief interview with Robert Verloop, CEO of the California Walnut Board & Commission, as he met with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share highlights of this year’s walnut crop and a look at global market trends. Verloop will be sharing the State of the Walnut Industry report at Malcolm Media’s Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo on Nov. 8th at the Fresno Fairgrounds and at the Tree & Vine Expo on Nov. 12th at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, so be sure to register to attend free at https://agexpo.biz/.
The California Walnut Commission (CWC), representing more than 4,600 California walnut growers, mostly multi-generational family farms, and nearly 70 handlers, is pleased to announce it has been awarded $7 million in funding as part of the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to expand distribution and sales of California Walnuts in international markets.
The CWC thanks Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Foreign Agricultural Service for enactingthe Regional Agricultural Promotion Program and recent award announcements to help support the expansion of California Walnuts and other US commodity exports into emerging markets. This additional funding will allow the industry to expand programs into new markets as well as boost activities in existing strategic export markets, with the goal of increasing distribution and driving sales of high-quality California walnuts globally.
RAPP funding will enhance the Commission’s work by expanding market access in new opportunity markets, in conjunction with driving sales of California walnuts in international markets currently funded through the Market Access Program (MAP). The CWC plans to attain success by leveraging the combined funding to conduct similar programs and activities as it was able to achieve in the United Kingdom (UK) utilizing the one-time Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) funds. In the UK, the industry was able to build programs that drove additional displays and distribution, resulting in increased retail sales and growing California walnut shipments +65% since 2018. The UK is now a top ten export market.
“Funding from the Market Access Program has been essential to our success over the years, and the introduction of RAPP funds will provide additional opportunities to drive new distribution and grow sales for California walnuts in even more new and exciting ways” said Robert Verloop, CEO for California Walnut Commission. “We’re eager for the opportunity of RAPP to expand sales of and expand market access for California walnuts.”
About the California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission (CWC) represents more than 4,600 California walnut growers and nearly 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California. The CWC, established in 1987, promotes usage of walnuts through domestic and export market development activities as well as supports health research with consuming walnuts.
To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org
The California walnut industry has suffered tremendously in recent years due to many factors outside of the grower’s control. But the future is not all doom and gloom. In fact, the quality of this year’s crop was outstanding. Watch this brief interview with Robert Verloop, CEO of the California Walnut Board & Commission, as he shares some highlights from his State of the Walnut Industry address at the Malcolm Media’s recent Tree & Vine Expo in Turlock.
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) official walnut industry crop estimate provides the California walnut industry with crucial information to support an orderly sales process. Using scientific methodologies, USDA field staff counted, measured, weighed and evaluated thousands of walnuts from major growing regions in July and August for use in a statistical acreage model to establish the annual walnut crop estimate.
The 2023 California walnut production is forecast at 790,000 tons, up 5% from 2022’s production of 752,000 tons. The forecast is based on 385,000 bearing acres, down 4% from 2022’s estimated bearing acreage of 400,000.
“The California walnut industry has increased its focus on providing handlers and growers the most accurate crop information by accelerating the collection of various data points,” said Robert Verloop, CEO and Executive Director for the California Walnut Commission (CWC) and Board (CWB).
While official final shipment, inventory and close-out figures for the 2022 crop year will be released within the month, preliminary figures indicate last year’s crop is virtually sold out.
“Last year, we were facing a completely different scenario with 130,000 tons in inventory brought on by the lingering effects of the COVID-impacted global marketplace and a record heat wave last September that negatively impacted the entire crop, which led to lethargic sales and record-low grower returns,” added Verloop.
“With minimal carryover from the previous crop year and favorable weather throughout the growing season, we’re optimistic about the new crop year,” said Tim Sabado, CEO of Prima Noce, based in Linden, California. “The upcoming crop promises a return to the exceptional quality that defines California walnuts globally.
“Harvest will begin in September, and may extend into November due to the early season cooler temperatures,” added Sabado. “Our focus is on an aggressive harvest, picking the crop at its peak quality and freshness.”
Inshell walnut shipments for international destinations will start in October. In the U.S. and Canada, retail customers are currently placing orders and building sales plans for their traditionally large holiday promotions and their health-focused kernel campaigns for January and February.
About the California Walnut Board
The California Walnut Board (CWB) was established in 1948 to represent the walnut growers and handlers of California. The CWB is funded by mandatory assessments of the handlers. The CWB is governed by a Federal Walnut Marketing Order. The CWB promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research.
About the 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.
What a difference a year makes! The California walnut industry is gearing up for a stellar 2023 harvest and shipping season after several years of drought, record low grower returns, COVID disrupted markets with supply chain challenges and a devastating heat wave in September 2022 that negatively impacted the entire crop. Here’s why this season is lining up to be a different story.
Quality is expected to be excellent due to favorable growing conditions.
Last winter’s prolonged heavy rains in the California walnut growing regions helped restore deep soil moisture and provided for healthy root zones, enabling trees to better tolerate late season high temperatures. The state also benefitted from an extensive snowpack which has provided all growing regions with sufficient water to support the trees and the crops through this season.
The much-needed chilling hours were at normal levels, placing the trees into a much-needed deep winter dormancy and a prolonged “rest and recuperation” period. Mild spring temperatures were ideal and produced full, vibrant, vigorous tree canopies which supported strong pollination, resulting in robust nut sets throughout the orchards.
“This year, our trees are more capable of handling higher temperatures than the previous years when the trees were under stress due to long-term deficit irrigation,” commented fourth-generation grower and handler Bill Carriere of Glenn, California. “Long-time growers have commented that the trees have not looked this strong and healthy in at least six to seven years. The full leaf canopy provided excellent temperature control and sun protection during the spring and summer months, allowing the walnuts to grow evenly with minimal sunburn. I am very optimistic that this year will mark a return to the premium quality walnuts we are known for in California.”
Acreage adjustments
Record low prices, brought on by an oversupply of darker than normal walnut kernels and weak demand in international markets, have taken a toll on growers, some opting to remove orchards from production. “Our family decided to pull out a productive orchard planted by my father in the early 2000s, it was a difficult decision, but the numbers told the story,” said Don Barton, a fourth-generation family farmer in Escalon, California. “We pulled a few acres with legacy varieties that are no longer desired by the broader buying community. Further south, walnut growers had removed trees due to new water restrictions that resulted in a lack of long-term availability to groundwater. Overall, the last few years have been devastating for growers and we are making some difficult decisions.”
The extent of the acreage shift became more evident in an acreage survey conducted by the California Walnut Board between October 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. For the first time ever, the acreage of California walnuts declined with 23,000 acres removed during the nine-month period. The industry will likely see additional reductions between July and December 2023, as more growers decide to shift to other crops and the needed tree removal equipment becomes available.
Favorable New Crop Volumes and Inventory levels
However, even with the removal of these orchards, the industry has a strong production base with approximately 380,000 producing acres and 37,000 younger non-bearing acres. USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service Information (NASS) is currently conducting the annual walnut crop objective evaluation which counts and measures walnuts in a representative cross-industry sampling protocol. Incorporating the recently updated acreage report with the sampling results. USDA will release the official California walnut industry crop estimate on September 1, 2023.
“This week, the California Walnut Board released the monthly and year-to-date shipment report which highlighted an additional reason why I am bullish about the upcoming season,” remarked Martin Mariani, a grower/processor from Winters, California, “The data shows that we have shipped the equivalent of 730,488 tons this season from an available inventory of 880,000 tons.” He went on to explain that when taking into consideration the high sales commitments going into the fall, “we are virtually sold out of available inventory, which bodes well for the industry. I can’t wait to bring the new crop to market.”
Global and Domestic Market Outlook
With a focus on inshell markets, Chile is anticipated to be sold out by the time the new California crop starts shipping this fall. With minimal inventories of export-quality walnuts on hand, coupled with the current limited supply of walnut halves in global markets, the fresh California crop of premium quality walnuts, inshell and kernels, will be in high demand.
“Domestically, sales have increased 28% which helped our industry work through the high inventory numbers we saw at the start of the season” said Mike Poindexter of Poindexter Nut Company in Selma, California. “Major US retailers significantly increased their promotional efforts, which stimulated consumer sales. This is continuing through the fall and will provide nice momentum going into the U.S. holiday season for new crop kernels and inshell sales.”
Market Development and Sales Expansion
Acknowledging the difficulty California walnut industry growers have faced in recent years, Robert Verloop, CEO and Executive Director for the California Walnut Commission (CWC) and Board, said the organization has taken several steps to aid growers.
Robert Verloop, CEO and Executive Director, California Walnut Commission (CWC) and Board
“There have been successful efforts during the season to respond to the heat wave impacted crop, yet with low prices and high input costs, the squeeze on family farms has been relentless. Through the Commission, we continue to work with our representatives in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento for emergency relief for growers,” he said.
“Also, working with the CWC Board of Directors, industry handlers/processors, many volunteer leaders and elected officials and regulators, we have successfully secured a record USDA Section 32 purchase this season for up to $90 million; this funding is being used to help move the current crop out of our storage and into 1,400 food banks across the U.S., providing additional nutrition to thousands of families. In addition, the 20% reduction in tariffs recently announced by India will help us regain our footing in the Indian market.”
About the California Walnut Board
The California Walnut Board (CWB) was established in 1948 to represent the walnut growers and handlers of California. The CWB is funded by mandatory assessments of the handlers. The CWB is governed by a Federal Walnut Marketing Order. The CWB promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research.
About the 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.
In this video, Joshua Rahm from the California Walnut Commission shares details on some new and upcoming government programs to aid walnut growers amidst these difficult times — some of which growers can act on now. So watch this video now and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
About the California Walnut Board 
About the California Walnut Board