Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Category: Economics

  • “Cautiously Optimistic” about Leaffooted Bug Lure & Trap

    “Cautiously Optimistic” about Leaffooted Bug Lure & Trap

    Almond Board of California — With the rise of leaffooted bug damage showing up in almond kernels at the handler, the bottom line of growers is at stake. Research funded by the Almond Board of California and conducted at UC Riverside, is expanding much needed tools for effective IPM monitoring protocol to combat the pest.

    Across the industry, handlers have seen higher rates of brown spot damage caused by leaffooted bug – and true bugs, such as stink bug – which has led to increased rejection rates.

    Growers are limited to the best monitoring protocols available today, but they can be time and labor intensive, often pointing out damage after it’s too late to act.

    leaffooted bug on Almond (Photo Courtesy of the Almond Board of California)

    A multiyear effort led be UC Riverside Entomology Professor Jocelyn Millar – and funded by the Almond Board of California – has worked to improve the monitoring options for the pest.  

    “You can take beat samples of the crop canopy to look for adults or nymphs, but we’ve never established any kind of treatment threshold for that practice,” said Houston Wilson, assistant cooperative extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside and collaborator on the project. “You can look for signs of feeding damage, which manifests in gummosis, which can also be caused by a number of things.”

    Wilson said growers can cut gummy nuts open to look for evidence of leaffooted bug penetration of the kernel.

    “Identifying gummosis is easier because you can look for the signs, but it’s an artifact – by the time you see it, the leaffooted bug has already damaged the nuts,” Wilson said. “We don’t have a passive sampling system for leaffooted bug, like for navel orangeworm, where a pheromone attracts the insect to a trap,” Wilson said. “What we’re trying to develop is a lure – a pheromone – and a better trap.”

    leaffooted bug damaged nuts (Photo Courtesy of the Almond Board of California)
    First, the pheromone

    Over the past five years, Millar and his team have been isolating and identifying compounds that make up the leafooted bug pheromone. Nine compounds were identified, and the team began work to synthesize each one. Wilson said that some of the compounds were relatively easy to identify, but others were not, “the last pheromone compound we identified was entirely new to science.”

    In the latest project update, Millar noted that this new compound was a relatively small part of the overall pheromone composition but it packed the biggest punch, triggering the strongest responses from the bugs. Over the last two years, Millar’s team has been able to collect enough material to identify the compound and effectively synthesize it.

    Second, the trap

    At the same time as the pheromone work, the team at UC Riverside – and other collaborators such as Cooperative Extension Specialist Kent Daane – began looking at the best trap for the application. They tested multiple styles of traps and colors, ultimately identifying that a hanging cross-vane panel trap coated with a sticky substance – yellow or blue in color – performed the best for trapping leaffooted bug.

    With a fully recreated pheromone and an effective trap, the team ran trap trials in commercial almond, pistachio and pomegranate orchards in the Central Valley. Based on in-field trials, the team concluded that the trap and pheromone were both very effective and will look to the private sector to commercialize the new monitoring system.

    What’s next?

    “We demonstrated in field trials last summer and this spring that the synthetic pheromone blend is highly attractive to females,” Wilson said. “Now we’re looking at what minimal blend of compounds are needed to attract the pest. If we want this to be a commercially viable lure, we have to find the most cost-effective composition. In many cases, it’s not necessarily required to have the full bouquet of compounds in a pheromone blend to have a functional lure.”

    Once the right balance is determined for a synthetic blend that lures leaffooted bugs to a trap the next step is understanding what trap catch means on population density in an orchard. This will define treatment thresholds, giving growers guidance on timing to combat leaffooted bug before damage occurs on kernels. Private industry will likely takeover at this point to develop the traps for the industry. For Wilson, this prospect has him cautiously optimistic.

    “We’re very fired up with this pheromone blend, but I’m also trying not to get ahead of myself before we know what the cost will be for a commercial and scalable lure.”

    More information about best management practices of leaffooted bug is available at the UC Statewide IPM website.

  • USDA Announces Signup for Ag Commodity Container Assistance Program

    USDA Announces Signup for Ag Commodity Container Assistance Program

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin accepting applications for the Commodity Container Assistance Program (CCAP) which currently includes a partnership with the Port of Oakland in California and the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which is a marine cargo operating partnership between the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma in Washington State. Ongoing market disruptions have created logistical challenges associated with the availability and flow of shipping containers to transport agricultural commodities, which has prevented or delayed American-grown agricultural commodities from reaching their markets.

    “Both the Port of Oakland and the NWSA in Seattle have been identified as key gateways for American-grown agricultural commodities, and each has experienced significant challenges with the flow of containerized agricultural commodities and products,” Secretary Vilsack said. “While USDA’s per-container reimbursements will not cover the full cost of moving and storing shipping containers, the assistance provided will help ensure American-grown agricultural products can once again efficiently move through supply chains to reach global markets.”

    Port of Oakland  

    Fewer shipping containers have been made available for U.S. agricultural commodities as ocean carriers have circumvented traditional marketing channels and rushed containers back to be exported empty and, as a result, many of these carriers have suspended service to the Port of Oakland.

    The Howard Terminal “pop up” site in the Port of Oakland will provide space to prepare empty containers. Agricultural companies and cooperatives will have easier access to these containers, which they can fill with commodities, which will help restore shipping services to agricultural commodities while relieving congestion.

    For the Port of Oakland, the Agricultural Marketing Service covered 60% of the start-up costs for the “pop up” site and under CCAP the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing a $125 per container payment to partially assist agricultural commodity owners for the additional logistical expenses associated with picking up empty shipping containers to be filled with agricultural commodities and products at the Port of Oakland. Under CCAP FSA will also provide payments of $200 per dry container and $400 per refrigerated, or reefer, container to help cover additional logistical costs associated with moving the shipping container twice, first to the preposition site and then to the terminal loading the vessel, along with the cost of temporary storage.

    Northwest Seaport Alliance  

    Congestion-induced impacts to vessel schedules and prioritization of returning containers empty to Asia have significantly raised barriers for exporting agricultural commodities in containers, resulting in lost markets and disappointed customers. The Northwest Seaport Alliance has seen a nearly 30% decline in the export of agricultural commodities in the last six months of 2021 and the ratio of loaded versus empty container exports has shifted to predominately empty containers since May 2021.

    In Seattle, a 49-acre existing near-dock facility “pop up” site will be used to accept either dry agricultural or refrigerated, or reefer, containers for temporary storage at NWSA in Seattle to reduce operational hurdles and costs so containers can more quickly be loaded on ships at the export terminals.

    For the NWSA, under CCAP FSA will provide payments of $200 per dry container and $400 per reefer container to help cover the additional logistical costs of moving the container twice, first to the preposition site and then to the terminal loading the vessel, along with the cost of temporary storage. The NWSA “pop-up” site itself does not require USDA cost-share assistance as this site already has handling equipment and reefer plugs.

    How to Apply   

    The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will make monthly direct payments to agricultural companies and cooperatives on a per-container basis based upon the location of the port, and the type of shipping container, including empty containers, dry filled containers, and reefer filled containers.  Both sites will have the ability to pre-cool refrigerated shipping containers to receive perishable commodities.

    To apply for CCAP, applicants must complete form FSA-862, Commodity Container Assistance Program (CCAP) Applicationaccording to FSA-862 instructions and submit the form to the FSA National Office by email to SM.FPAC.FSA.CCAP@usda.gov. Payments will be made in arrears and verified with terminal records. A Unique Entity ID (12 alphanumeric characters assigned by SAM.gov) is required. Applicants that wish to receive payment by direct deposit must complete SAM.gov registration online at sam.gov/content/home and provide bank account information. Applicants may submit applications on a monthly basis, but all applications must be submitted by Jan. 31, 2023.

    FSA will make payments to eligible owners or designated marketing agents of U.S. agricultural commodities based on the number of eligible shipping containers utilized from March 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, from the Port of Oakland or the NWSA to ship agricultural commodities to their designated markets on container ships. Eligible commodities include agricultural commodities (other than tobacco) which are grown or produced in the United States for food, feed, or fiber, and products made from those commodities, including certain forestry products.

    Visit the Notice of Funds Availability for more information on applicant eligibility and how to apply.

    About the Partnership  

    USDA’s partnerships with the Port of Oakland and NWSA is part of the Administration’s Supply Chain Task Force efforts with state and local governments and builds on earlier efforts including a US Department of Transportation partnership with the Port of Savannah in Georgia. The benefits of relieving congestion and addressing capacity issues at ports through partnerships go well beyond the local region, as commodities and agricultural products grown and processed from thousands of miles away flow through these ports.

    USDA continues to seek opportunities to partner with additional ports or other intermodal container facilities to help American farmers and agricultural producers move their product to market and manage the short-term challenges while pressing the ocean carriers to restore better levels of service.

  • Central Valley Farmer Plans to Take Fight Back to D.C. as Congressman

    Central Valley Farmer Plans to Take Fight Back to D.C. as Congressman

    California agriculture may be on its way to getting better representation in Washington D.C. with John Duarte running for California’s new 13th Congressional District.  A Central Valley native and an active multigenerational farmer, John is no career politician.  Protecting property rights and increasing water storage are among his top priorities. Watch this brief interview with John to see what he plans to bring to the table.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Hundreds of Thousands of Prime CA Farmland Acreage Fallowed this Year Due to Drought

    Hundreds of Thousands of Prime CA Farmland Acreage Fallowed this Year Due to Drought

    Farmers and other California residents have been pushing legislature for many years to increase our state’s water storage capacity with no success, and with the “years of plenty” long past, hundreds of thousands of acres of prime farmland will go fallow this year. This will have devastating impacts on our nation’s food supply, local communities and the many families that traditionally worked these fields that will be left uncultivated. Watch this brief interview with Adam Borchard from the California Fresh Fruit Association as he addresses the current situation.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Japanese Consumers Crave California Almonds, Walnuts & Pistachios

    Japanese Consumers Crave California Almonds, Walnuts & Pistachios

    According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, a strong demand for U.S. Tree Nut products continues in Japan, driven by the growing health-oriented trends among Japanese consumers. In 2021, fresh and dried nut imports to Japan totaled $491 million, of which 78.2 percent or approximately $384 million was from the United States. The key market sectors for U.S. Tree Nuts are in bakery and retail, valued at $215.1 million. Almonds and walnuts are almost exclusively supplied by the United States.

    General Information:

    Historically, walnuts and chestnuts were grown wild or cultivated on a very small scale for local consumption. Since Japan started importing nuts in the 1950’s, nuts such as almonds and mixed nuts have been used as a snack to eat with alcoholic drinks or as ingredients for cookies and chocolates. Except for certain walnut production areas, only in recent years have nuts been used for cooking. The Japan Nuts Association was established in 1993, with seventy-three importers and distributors.

    Market Trends:

    Japan has almost no production of nuts, except for very limited production of walnuts (approximately one hundred eighty tons per year). As a result, consumers of nut products rely heavily on imports. The market had been very limited, but stable, because nuts were mostly used as ingredients for the bakery and confectionary industry and the retail price for nuts was relatively higher. Over the past decade, consumption of almonds and walnuts has gradually increased, with imports reaching 42,489 metric tons (MT) (a record high) and 22,527 MT, respectively. Meanwhile, chestnuts have seen dramatic declines in import volumes over the past twenty years. Pistachio imports have been stable but has gradually increased in small amounts over the past couple of years.

    The key market sectors for tree nuts are bakery (55 percent) and retail (33 percent). For confectionary and baking industry, the following processed nut items have been most widely used:

    Walnuts: 1) Raw shelled light-color medium pieces, 2) Raw or roasted shelled light-color small pieces

    Almonds: 1) Blanched powder, 2) whole, 3) Roasted cuts, 4) Sliced

    Pistachios: 1) In-shell, 2) Raw shelled, 3) Praline rolled into paste, 4) Cuts (for topping)

    In the baking sector, walnuts are the most frequently utilized tree nuts, in a variety of bread items and Japanese sweets. In the retail sector, nuts in a 40-55g package or 100g package are popular at convenience stores and supermarkets, and 200g or 500g package are popular at specialty stores, and internet shops. At the retail stores, nuts are placed on the shelf for the baking ingredients and/or the shelf for the snacks. Salted mixed nuts for snacking or accompanied with alcoholic drinks are traditional methods of consumption and still popular in the retail sector. However, unsalted straight nuts are gaining in popularity due to the proliferation of information on the health benefits and versatility in usage for each type of nut. Snack nuts mixed with dry fruits, such as trail mix, are still not common but cereal snack bars, some sold with the Nutritional Supplement Foods label, with nuts and dry fruits have been popular in the Japanese market.

    In the retail sector, mixed nuts are sold best among nuts categories (including peanuts), followed by peanuts and chestnuts. In recent years, Japanese consumers have become more health-conscious and have become more educated on the nutritional benefits both almonds and walnuts provide. Strategic marketing and promotion of the health and beauty benefits have continued to be effective by major television stations as well as on internet and social media sites. Health-related messaging includes key words like omega-3, anti-oxydant, vitamin E, vitamin B, minerals, oleic acid, anti-aging, reducing cholesterol, zero cholesterol, healthy blood vessels, healthy brain, healthy skin, etc. This type of messaging has been key to promoting nuts and nut products to Japanese consumers.

    During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, sales of nuts and dry fruits increased in the retail sector due to consumer dining changes, from dining-out to dining in the household. Some stores reported between 120-130 percent increased sales and the expansion of shelf space by 10 percent. Overall, snacking became one of the growing trends during the stay-at-home/teleworking environment. “New Snacking” included nuts, dry fruits, and vegetable chips. In addition to this, consumers made shifts to “unsalted” nuts, as a healthier alternative.

    Pistachio’s use as an ingredient is another in-demand product. Major snack/confectionary manufacturers created new snacks using more nuts including pistachios. Major manufacturers including Morinaga and Tirol have new ice cream and chocolate products utilizing pistachios. Major convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart created desserts with pistachios, which have also been sold in cafes and at other specialty stores. In addition to this, one of the major specialty store chains KALDI started selling pistachio spread. A pistachio specialty store “Pista and Tokyo” recently opened at one of the premium locations near Tokyo Station, demonstrating the strong popularity pistachios have gained among Japanese consumers. Imports for U.S. pistachios have been flat but have been gradually increasing over time. Import data from December 2020 to November 2021, shows an increase of 146.3 percent compared to the previous year. Approximately 93 percent of total pistachio imports in 2020 were from the U.S., with the rest mostly originating from Iran and Italy.

    Imports of Tree Nuts:

    Each type of nut is imported mainly from a sole exporter because of specific production conditions such as climate, soil, and ability for mass production and quality control. That dependence can cause unstable supplies and prices; and Japanese importers are seeking a wider variety of potential suppliers to fulfill market demand. The United States dominates as supplier of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, and ships in lesser quantities. Australia supplies the majority of macadamia nuts; chestnuts are imported primarily from China and Korea, while Turkey is the largest supplier of hazelnuts. Cashews and coconuts are sourced mostly from other countries.

    The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered into force on January 1, 2020 and is in year three of enforcement. Following implementation of USJTA, nearly 90 percent of U.S. food and agricultural products imported into Japan are now duty free or receive preferential tariff access. In 2021, Japan imported $491 million in fresh or dried nuts from the world, of which 78.2 percent (approximately $384 million) was from the United States.

    Major Tree Nuts Importers, Processors and Distributors in Japan

    Japan is a very competitive market, and buyers in the food and beverage industry are inundated with meeting requests. Therefore, they often do not respond to “cold calls” or requests for meetings with individual companies. Instead, they prefer to find new products at large trade shows, or specially targeted trade showcases, where they can look at many products at once. Therefore, the best way to find buyers is to participate in one of the food related trade shows or showcases in Japan. The ATO organizes U.S. pavilions at the Supermarket Trade Show in February and FOODEX Japan in March, and many Japanese buyers are invited to stop by the U.S. pavilion to meet with exhibitors. The ATO also supports exhibitors at the shows by providing a market briefing, business meeting lounge, etc. Please contact the ATOs for more information about trade shows. The recommended trade shows featuring USA Pavilions in Japan are as follows:

    -FOODEX Japan in Kansai 2022, July 27-29, 2022, Intex Osaka, Osaka

    -FABEX Kansai 2022, September 7-9 2022, Intex Osaka, Osaka

    -Supermarket Trade Show 2023, February 15-17, 2023, Makuhari Messe, Chiba

    -FOODEX Japan 2023, March 7-10, 2023, Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo

    Contact Information:

    The Japan Nuts Association represents the interests of wholesalers, processors, and trading firms. For their member list, please visit: http://www.jna-nut.org/?page_id=16

    FAS/USDA Offices in Japan

    URL: http://www.usdajapan.org/ Agricultural Trade Office, Tokyo ATOTokyo@ usda.gov

    Tel: + 81-3-3224-5118 Agricultural Trade Office, Osaka ATOOsaka@ usda.gov

    Tel: + 81-6-6315-5904 

    — By Juri Noguchi, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

  • CA Senators Feinstein and Padilla Join Efforts To Hold Summit to Resolve Ag Export Trade Crisis

    CA Senators Feinstein and Padilla Join Efforts To Hold Summit to Resolve Ag Export Trade Crisis

    The Almond Alliance of California today thanked  California’s U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla for joining with a collaborative of major agriculture associations in urging a summit with all stakeholders – ocean shipping carriers and agricultural exporters – to resolve gridlock at the nation’s ports, where billions of dollars of exports are stuck on the docks.

    “The agriculture community of California thanks and appreciates our Senate delegation for standing up to end this gridlock which has crippled California farmers for the last year,” stated Almond Alliance President Aubrey Bettencourt.

    The call to action – spelled out in a letter from the senators – urged a wide range of interests to come to the table to address this crisis. The communique was sent to

    March Bourdon, President of CMA CGM Maritime, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, the United States Secretary of Transportation, and the National Economic Council.

    The senators implored those officials to work with American agricultural exporters to immediately expand export opportunities.

    “We urge you to work with California agricultural producers to ensure their products, especially perishables, expeditiously get to export markets worldwide during this important season,” the senators wrote. “We look forward to working with you to achieve our shared goals.”

    In their communique, Senators Feinstein and Padilla underscored the urgency of the crisis:

    Our “agricultural commodities have been significantly hampered in exporting their products because of container and equipment shortages, canceled bookings, and inadequate receiving windows.

    “According to the attached letter from several of California’s major agricultural producers, three out of four containers at U.S. ports are returning to Asia empty, resulting in a significant backlog of sold product in need of transportation.”

    That letter from national and state agricultural groups specifically demands for an immediate federal effort to convene a meeting of ocean carrier companies and agricultural exporters to address the tremendous export trade imbalance which is crippling American agriculture and damaging the American economy.

    Signatories of that second letter include leadership of the California Farm Bureau; Western Growers Association; National Milk Producers Federation; U.S. Dairy Export Council; Western United Dairies; the Almond Alliance of California, and the California Walnut Handlers Alliance.

    To read letter:  Click Here

  • California Almond Subjective Forecast Estimates Smaller Crop

    California Almond Subjective Forecast Estimates Smaller Crop

    The 2022 California Almond Subjective Forecast published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates that the crop harvested in 2022 will come in at 2.8 billion pounds, 4 percent below last year’s 2.92 billion pounds.

    Forecasted yield is 2,040 pounds per acre, 8 percent below the 2021 yield of 2,210 per acre.

    Richard Waycott, Almond Board of California

    “A lower crop estimate was not totally unexpected versus last year’s 2.9 billion pounds,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California (ABC). “Some growers’ crops this spring were impacted by frost, while all growers are managing continuing concerns about water availability. However, demand for California almonds around the globe remains strong and California almond growers are prepared to meet that demand.”

    The Subjective Forecast is the first of two production reports from NASS for the coming crop year. It is based on opinions from a phone survey conducted from April 19 to May 6 of randomly selected California almond growers. The sample of growers, which changes every year, is spread across regions and different sized operations.

    On July 8, NASS will release its second production estimate, the 2022 California Almond Objective Report, which is considered more accurate and is based on actual almond counts using a more statistically rigorous methodology to determine yield.

    This Subjective Forecast comes two weeks after NASS released the 2021 California Almond Acreage Report, which gave a preliminary estimate for bearing acreage in 2022 at 1.37 million acres, about 3.8 percent larger than its estimate for 2021 of 1.32 million bearing acres.

    NASS conducts the annual Subjective Forecast, Objective Report and Acreage Report to provide the California almond industry with the data needed to make informed business decisions. These reports are the official industry crop estimates.

  • How to Protect Your Farmland for Future Generations in California

    How to Protect Your Farmland for Future Generations in California

    Many California farms are run by families who have cultivated the land for several generations.  It’s not just land, it’s not just an investment — it is part of what defines them and their mission to feed the world. Watch this brief interview with Charlotte Mitchell from the California Farmland Trust as she shares how to protect their legacy of farming for generations to come.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
  • Oregon Hazelnut Grower Shares Experience with Mechanized Pruning

    Oregon Hazelnut Grower Shares Experience with Mechanized Pruning

    Due to increasing labor costs and shortages in recent years, many painstaking tasks on the farm are now being mechanized, and Pacific Northwest hazelnut growers are beginning to see mechanical pruning as a more reliable and economical alternative to traditional hand-pruning. But when is an appropriate time to begin this practice for those who have just recently planted new orchards? Watch this brief interview with Kevin Coleman from KCK Farms as he shares his experience adopting the practice.  Read more about orchard mechanization in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. If you’re not currently receiving the print publication, subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/subscribe/
    Please thank this video’s sponsor George Packing Company for their industry support.
  • EU Proposes New MRL Regulation on Imported Pistachios

    EU Proposes New MRL Regulation on Imported Pistachios

    It appears that aflatoxin will not be the only naturally occurring mold sabotaging pistachio shipments destined for the European Union.  The EU is proposing a new MRL regulation on Ochratoxin A in pistachio imports to go into effect January 1, 2023. But what is Ochratoxin A and what should the pistachio industry know about this? Watch this brief interview with Thomas Jones from the Safe Food Alliance as he explains.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.