California Ag Network

Tag: The California Walnut Board

  • California Walnut Board Opens Nominations for Board Positions

     

    The California Walnut Board will begin accepting nominations for its governing board, calling on both established growers and handlers, and next-generation farmers to help guide the industry’s strategic transformation.

    Members and alternates will be elected for the next two-year term beginning on September 1, 2025 and ending on August 31, 2027. Walnut growers are eligible to petition the California Walnut Board to have the name of their candidate included on the 2025 nomination ballot.

    Nomination petitions are being sent to growers this month, allowing growers to propose candidates for the upcoming election. In mid-April, ballots listing the eligible candidates for grower positions will be mailed to all walnut growers in California. Growers will vote for two members and two alternates to represent their district as well as one member and one alternate for the statewide position. The nominees who receive the most votes will be presented to the Secretary of Agriculture for appointment consideration.

    “Two years ago, the industry created a strategic plan designed to move the industry forward, and while we’ve made significant strides, there is more work to be done,” said Robert Verloop, executive director of the California Walnut Board. “We’re seeking leaders who can think beyond their individual operations to collaborate with us for industry success.”

    While all growers and handlers are encouraged to get involved, engaging younger industry members is increasingly important.

    “We’re looking to attract the next generation of industry leadership ready to roll up their sleeves to positively shape the future,” said Verloop. “Their fresh perspectives and energy can help shape the future and drive positive change as multi-generational family farms evolve.”

    Elected board members play a critical role in guiding the industry, offering their unique knowledge and expertise, representing the interests of farmers in their regions and statewide, and providing oversight and governance functions. Importantly, board members will also help drive the industry’s strategic plan developed in 2023, for growers and by growers. The plan outlines an ambitious vision of making California Walnuts craved around the globe and focuses on six priorities, including product quality; global sales and marketing; innovation; sustainability; goal-oriented research; and revitalizing the board and commission.

    Industry members unable to commit to board service can still contribute through committees focused on marketing, production and post-harvest research, issues management and grades and standards.

    For more information, contact Suzanne Wuehler at the California Walnut Board office at (916) 932-7070 or swuehler@walnuts.org.

    About the California Walnut Board
    The California Walnut Board (CWB) represents 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.

    To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org.

  • More USDA Walnut Purchases Requested Amidst Pandemic

    Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) today led a bipartisan letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, asking him to use his authority to utilize all purchasing authorities to buoy the struggling walnut industry. The walnut industry – based exclusively in California – has seen prices plummet in the last two years to near or below the costs of production. Even prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, walnut farmers were harmed by retaliatory tariffs levied by top export partners including China, India, and Turkey. Rep. Harder is joined on the letter by fellow California Reps. Devin Nunes, Jim Costa, TJ Cox, Salud Carbajal, John Garamendi, Jerry McNerney, Jimmy Panetta, and Doug LaMalfa.

    “Walnut growers are being pinched on all sides – they’re up against tariffs from other countries, falling demand, and general chaos in food markets,” said Rep. Harder. “We have USDA programs designed for use in emergencies just like this – the Secretary should use them right away to help our walnut farmers.”

    “We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Harder and colleagues for recognizing the need to support California’s walnut growers,” said Michelle McNeil Connelly, Executive Director of The California Walnut Board. “We continue to face challenging times and greatly need Section 32 to provide relief.  As an essential industry we have continued to do our part and believe the relief funds provided to USDA will provide an excellent source on nutrition for millions of hungry Americans while, in tandem, ensuring the viability of our producers.”

    Michelle McNeil Connelly, Executive Director of The California Walnut Board

    The letter asks Secretary Perdue to use two legal authorities to increase walnut purchases. The first, Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustments Act allows USDA to support the ag industry by purchasing their products at market rates and then distributing the products to people in need. The letter also asks the Secretary to use his authority under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program, which was created last year to help farmers harmed by trade wars with other countries.

    Rep. Harder is a leader in efforts to protect walnut growers. Last year, he led a bipartisan letter with nearly two dozen of his colleagues asking USDA to include tree nuts and other specialty crops in the Market Facilitation Program, another program designed to help farmers harmed by retaliatory tariffs. After the members of Congress made their request, USDA added walnuts and other tree nuts to the program.

    The text of the letter is below and an original copy is available here.

    Dear Secretary Perdue:

    Thank you for your leadership overseeing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). We write today in support of USDA purchases of California walnuts and encourage utilizing all purchasing authorities, including Section 32 and the Food Purchase and Distribution Program, to provide much-needed support to California’s walnut industry.

    Representative Josh Harder (CA-10)

    The COVID-19 pandemic has come on top of an already difficult time for our 4,500 California walnut producers who have, and continue, to suffer from the effects of retaliatory tariffs in India, Turkey and China.  From tariff actions alone, what was a $1.5 billion industry just two years ago, has declined by more than 41 percent to $878.8 million. Producer prices have been near or below the costs of production for the last two years (0.65/cents per pound) and the outlook is bleak.  The continued impacts of COVID-19 have resulted in excess inventories, with a record carry-out of nearly 90,000 tons from the current crop compounded by an anticipated record crop in excess of 700,000 tons which will begin harvest in September. The California Walnut Board estimates initial farm gate losses from COVID-19 at nearly $300 million, and as with this pandemic, are evolving and eroding quickly.

    Global walnut demand has slowed resulting from port disruptions, distribution challenges, the sharp decline of the food manufacturing and food service sectors, and consumer economic uncertainty. With the trajectory of COVID-19 lasting well into 2021, walnut producers are in need of assistance from any and all programs available to protect the 85,000 full-time jobs attributable to the walnuts industry. Our California’s walnut farmers represent ninety-nine percent of U.S. production of walnuts, were the 5th leading export from the state prior to these challenges. Despite falling to the 13th leading export from the state, the California walnut industry contributes over $6 billion to the state’s economy.

    Demand for nutrition programs has grown immensely, with Feeding America reporting that 98 percent of food banks reported an increase in need for food assistance.  In California alone, food bank demand has grown by 73 percent, while farmers and ranchers have seen market declines of over 50 percent. Walnuts provide a shelf stable source of protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids, providing nutrition to feed America’s hungry through meal inclusion and snacks, while also aiding our farmers.

    We appreciate your previous support for the industry, through purchases and the Market Facilitation Program, and hope your support will continue through this pandemic.  We thank you for your continued support during this unpredictable time and urge you to give all due consideration to California’s walnut industry’s purchase request.

  • CA Nut Industry Funds Four New UC Cooperative Extension Research Positions

    Four staff research associates will join the ranks of UC Cooperative Extension scientists in the coming months to support nut crop advisors conducting critical research in walnut, almond and pistachio production.

    The California Walnut Board, the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board together have provided about $425,000 to cover annual salaries, benefits, travel and equipment for the new UC Cooperative Extension staff. Under the terms of the agreement, the new positions will be funded annually for up to three years, pending available funds and success of the program.

    “By supporting these new positions in UC Cooperative Extension, the California Walnut Board, the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board show their recognition for the value of applied research conducted by our nut crop advisors,” said UC Agriculture and Natural Resources vice president Glenda Humiston. “We are grateful to these industry organizations for this vote of confidence and the generous funding to generate science-based knowledge to apply on California farms.”

    The new research associates will each devote time supporting two advisors with tree nut assignments:

    • Allan Fulton and Luke Milliron, serving Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties
    • Katherine Jarvis-Shean and Franz Niederholzer, serving Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo counties
    • Mae Culumber and Phoebe Gordon, serving Fresno, Madera and Merced counties
    • Elizabeth Fichtner and an advisor under recruitment, serving Tulare and Kings counties

    The arrangement reflects a change in how UC Cooperative Extension supports the agriculture industries in California with applied research. With less funding from its traditional revenue sources – USDA, the state government and counties – advisors cover more territory than in the past. Over the years, they have also taken on an increasing share of UC’s applied research mission serving the state’s specialty crops industries.

    The new staff research associate positions were crafted to attract highly qualified candidates who will support advisors’ applied research efforts. Their primary focus will be on assisting advisors with planning, execution and gathering data on experimental and demonstration field trials.

    UCCE advisor emeritus Joe Grant, who now serves as production research director of the California Walnut Board, chaired an industry working group that drafted the plan based on advisors’ input about their needs.

    “Advisors are competent and creative people with the skills and knowledge to do research. They need the same support that researchers on campus have,” Grant said.

    The California Pistachio Research Board previously provided funding for a plant pathology researcher and an integrated pest management advisor at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. In addition, the board supported creation of $1 million endowments for a nut genetics researcher and a tree nut soil science and plant-water relations researcher as part of an initiative co-funded by UC President Janet Napolitano.

    “We’ve been concerned for a long time about UC Cooperative Extension’s research capacity and infrastructure issues,” said Bob Klein, manager of the California Pistachio Research Board. “This new initiative will increase efficiency and productivity for farm advisors and also reduce their stress from being overcommitted.”

    Josette Lewis, the Almond Board chief scientific officer, said the organization depends on UCCE farm advisors for unbiased, quality information about almond production.

    “Advisors are a valuable link between UC campuses and growers, not only in doing applied research that helps growers thrive, but in meeting California’s goals of environmental and social sustainability,” Lewis said. “The information they generate is shared with a host of ag industry professionals – pest control advisers, crop consultants and people in the private sector who provide services to growers.”

    Commodity industry funding for UC Cooperative Extension reflects the value the nut crop industries leverage from one of the strongest agricultural research and extension systems in the world, Lewis said.

    The new program is modeled after a pilot project in Colusa County in which the Almond Board provided funding for Niederholzer to hire an intern to support almond research. A young scientist who held the post from 2015-16 was Milliron. In 2017, UC Cooperative Extension named Milliron a sustainable orchard systems advisor for Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties and he will now supervise one of the new staff research associates.

    “We had a chance to keep him in the system and capitalize on what he learned during his internship,” Lewis said.

    There are other tree nut and fruit advisors in need of research help, Grant said. For example, there are concentrations of tree fruit and nut acreage and growers in Kern, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

    “We positioned these four research associates where we heard the need for help was most critical. We can see adding another position or two in the future if funds are available,” Grant said. — By Jeannette E. Warnert, UC Cooperative Extension

    Pistachios growing at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

  • New California Walnuts Advertising Campaign Offers Solutions When “Life Isn’t Always Simple”

    The California Walnut Board announced today the launch of the “Life Isn’t Always Simple” The California Walnut Board advertising campaign, created to show consumers how walnuts can be an easy way to add nutrition, crunch and variety to any meal and snack. The new campaign, which focuses on the importance of small daily “wins,” like getting an easy and delicious meal on the table, marks a conscious shift to a more lifestyle-focused creative strategy than in years past. In developing the creative, the Board leaned into the emotional connection and role walnuts can play in people’s everyday lives.

     

    Segmentation research and a series of focus groups uncovered that women aged 25-54, primarily Millennials and Gen Xers, are optimistically embracing the challenges that accompany their full, active and busy lifestyles. Despite describing their days as ‘controlled chaos’, they are enthusiastic about life, laugh off small setbacks, and enjoy small daily victories. Lack of time is their greatest challenge and many are looking for simple solutions to make their days more manageable.

     

    The integrated campaign will reach 97% of adults over 18 an average of 32 times, garnering 3.7 million impressions across the U.S. The year-long campaign kicks off with national print ads, six TV spots as well as digital ads. The TV spots feature relatable examples of how modern life can often be filled with chaotic moments (ever mistake school picture day for pajama day?) then reminds viewers that California walnuts are an easy solution for incorporating nutritious and delicious recipes into everyday routines.

     

    “In recent years, the California Walnut Board’s advertising was focused on promoting the functionality of walnuts, their versatility and added health benefits as an ingredient,” said Jennifer Williams, Marketing Director, Domestic Advertising at California Walnut Board. “California walnuts are not just in the business of food, but in making an emotional connection with our audiences through cooking, eating, and enjoying. This new campaign is a shift towards appealing to consumers on a more emotional level – portraying walnuts in a relatable way.”

     

    The media plan to support this new campaign leverages various platforms including print magazines, national TV, editorial integrations, digital and social activations, blog posts, and influencer programs. The entire plan is designed to encourage walnut consumption beyond the traditional holiday season.  This effort will be supported by an unprecedented investment at retail, to remind consumers to add California walnuts to their shopping cart.

     

    California Walnut Board

    The California Walnut Board 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.