As almond pollination costs have gone up in recent years, the Almond Board of California has engaged in studies to help growers reduce costs and developed strategic partnerships with other organizations to provide some new services that almond growers should take advantage of. Watch this brief interview with Josette Lewis from the Almond Board as she explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
To our friends in agricultural, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and share our appreciation for you and the reason for the season with this song, from our family to yours! For more fun & inspiring music, visit our new YouTube Channel Malcolm Family Music.
Many have heard initial projections as to how COVID-19 might impact the California almond industry, especially at such a critical time with growers expecting their largest crop ever this year. But how has the market actually been impacted up to this point? And are evolving consumer habits beneficial to this growing industry? Watch this brief interview with Emily Fleischmann from the Almond Board of California to find out and read more about it in the coming issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Winter sanitation is a critical step in your Navel Orangeworm IPM programs. But when should you start and is it enough just to shake those mummy nuts off of the trees? Watch this interview with Bob Klein from the California Pistachio Research Board as he shares some key insights growers should consider when approaching winter sanitation and read about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
– SPONSORED CONTENT –
As an innovative thought leader for nearly 50 years, TOMRA Food has brought many firsts to the industry, and now we bring you one more. We continue to raise the bar for food safety and product quality. We continue working closely with you, our processing partners, to break barriers as to what is possible with optical sorting and design equipment specifically to meet your wants and needs.
We are thrilled to announce the release of the all new TOMRA 5C, ushering in a new era of sorting for the nut and dried fruit industry!
Processing at 95% capacity or better, 100% of the time
This innovative sorter builds on the award-winning TOMRA technologies and utilizes one of the most influential forces in the universe, gravity.
Driven by data to continuously improve your sorting capabilities, this machine will usher in the future of nuts and dried fruit sorting.
Reduce downtime, improve yield, lower direct costs, improve operational efficiency and increase quality with vast amounts of data
Integrated with our powerful TOMRA Insight 4.0 data platform, the TOMRA 5C has been engineered with the processor and operator in mind. Combined with an easy-to-use and intuitive display, the TOMRA 5C adapts to your needs.
Making real-time decisions to increase profits with easy to read and actionable data has never been more straightforward
The future of the nut and dried fruit industry is automated. The TOMRA 5C brings a level of food safety and quality that minimizes or eliminates staff required for hand sorting. We have dramatically improved capacity, doubling the throughput for almonds.
You may have spent your entire career in the dried fruit and nut business, but we can assure you that your product has never been seen like this before.
Speak with one of the TOMRA experts today to book your demo and take your business to the future!
– SPONSORED CONTENT –
By: Dr. Karl Wyant
Although soil microbes, including bacteria and fungi, are microscopically small, they can have an enormous impact on the performance of almond crops. According to a recent study, soil microbial communities associated with tree crops are critical for their long-term growth and development, particularly under challenging soil conditions (Mercado-Blanco et al., 2018). Soil microbial communities are known to contribute to increased aboveground plant productivity, improve the availability of soil nutrients and water, and can help mitigate abiotic stressors and toxic compounds (Mercado-Blanco et al., 2018) for the associated crop (Weil and Brady 2017). In a case study conducted by Heliae® Agriculture, we analyzed the importance of microbial activity in almond tree soil.
The PhycoTerra® product line of conventional and organic microalgae technology is a proven way to increase soil microbial activity that can have an immediate impact on your almond tree growth and yield. This idea, as eloquently expressed by Mercado-Blanco et al., (2018), is that the belowground microbiome can be harnessed to improve the growth and development of permanent tree crops worldwide. Let’s now turn our attention to two case studies showcasing the use of PhycoTerra® and PhycoTerra® Organic on improving almond growth and yield. The key connection here is that the PhycoTerra® product line had a direct, positive impact on soil microbial abundance and diversity, which lead to an improvement in crop performance (Mercado-Blanco et al., 2018).
We were challenged to help optimize the establishment and growth of third leaf almonds near Bakersfield, CA and chose PhycoTerra® Organic to help drive optimal improvement in the soil microbiome. Using a planned, program approach, we applied 3 gallons/acre total of product in small doses at key timings, starting with petal drop. Since yield information was not available on the young trees, we used growth in trunk diameter as a proxy for crop response against a grower standard.
Blocks on the PhycoTerra® Organic program showed a 30% average increase in trunk diameter compared to their respective control blocks of the same size. We are moving into Year 2 of the trial and should start to see yield impacts shortly.
We were asked to help a grower gain additional value from a 19-year-old almond field, close to the end of its useful productive capacity. With that in mind, we felt revitalizing the soil microbiome, using PhycoTerra®, was key due to the relationship between tree crop production and belowground bacteria and fungi populations (Mercado-Blanco et al. 2018). We applied a total of four gallons/acre to the field at key timings using a planned, program approach.
Application of PhycoTerra®, with the intent to increase microbial activity the soil, improved yield and value for both Nonpareil and Carmel almond varieties in an older orchard, compared to the grower standard. Additionally, the grower observed less lower limb die-off on the PhycoTerra® side and we believe this played a role in the improved yield. Nut size also increased, using PhycoTerra®, jumping from 25/27 to 23/25, for both varieties.
Our research about the importance of soil microbial activity in soil at Heliae® Agriculture has led to the creation of a quality microalgae product for a variety of sustainable soil solutions that can have an immediate impact on your soil microbiome and the performance of your almond trees. To learn more about our Soil Microbe Food, PhycoTerra®, and how it can improve the soil on your farm, click here.
References
• Mercado-Blanco et al. 2018 – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01006/full
• Weil and Brady 2017 – https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Weil-Nature-and-Properties-of-Soils-The-15th-Edition/PGM219427.html
California Department of Food & Agriculture — Walnuts produced by handlers in 2019 totaled 10,902 tons, down from the 11,992 tons reported in 2018. This figure does NOT include walnuts purchased from other handlers or producers.
The total 2019 walnut crop purchased from producers, for whom pricing had been finalized, reached 624,890 tons at an average price of 95.0 cents per pound, up from the 67.3 cents per pound average in 2018. This price is rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent per pound and includes all bonuses and allowances.
Purchases from producers, for whom pricing was NOT finalized, totaled 18,763 tons. The average “good faith” estimate of the final weighted average price for this tonnage was 83.8 cents per pound.
The quantity of all walnuts purchased from producers was 643,653 tons for the 2019 crop. This figure does not include walnuts produced by the handler or purchased from other handlers.
The tonnage produced by the handler plus tonnage purchased from producers for the 2019 walnut crop was 654,555 in-shell tons. 
Information contained in this report was supplied by walnut handlers to fulfill reporting requirements of Sections 55601.7 and 55601.8 of the Food and Agricultural Code. The report includes all tonnages of walnuts that were either produced by the handler or purchased from producers. The final weighted average price, including bonuses and allowances, has been reported for all contracts which were finalized.
All 2019 crop transactions completed through the close of business on August 31, 2020 are included in this report. A “good faith” estimate of final weighted average price was reported for those contracts which were not final on the same date. The data are shown by major varieties at the State level only.
DEFINITIONS
Producer: A person or operator who is responsible for the walnuts in the unprocessed state.
Handler: Firm that processes and markets walnuts.
Finalized Purchases: Tonnage purchased from producers, for which a pricing contract has been completed.
Non-Finalized Purchases: Contracted tonnage, for which a final price has not yet been determined.
Free Tonnage: Tonnage received by a handler, for which the only Federal marketing order regulation is a minimum quality or size standard. Reserve tonnage is the tonnage set aside as authorized by a Federal marketing order.
Weighted Average Price: Weighted average price reflects prices or “good faith” estimates of prices as reported by handlers and include any bonuses or allowances.