Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Category: Industry News

  • American Pistachio Growers Introduces 2025-26 LeadOn Class

    American Pistachio Growers Introduces 2025-26 LeadOn Class

    American Pistachio Growers (APG) recently announced its 15th LeadOn pistachio industry leadership class.  Training motivated individuals with vested interest in the success and future of the U.S. pistachio industry, APG has developed this program to prepare the next generation of pistachio industry leaders.

    Jeff Anderson of Meridian Growers serves as the new Chair of the LeadOn Committee and shared his enthusiasm for the program. “I feel grateful for my new role as Chair,” he said.  “I believe that this course is going to play a more important role for APG moving forward.  Our purpose is to develop the next generation of APG leaders and introduce them to the inner workings of our brand.  Also, the support team is second to none, and I look forward to the future of the program.  I think we have an excellent class this year.”

    Interest in this leadership program has grown tremendously over the years, with the largest class ever having graduated in February 2025.  In order to refine the course and experience, the LeadOn committee determined to make some changes to the program effective this year. “We capped the class at 18 and will remain that size going forward,” Anderson explained.  “We like the smaller and more intimate class size.  Another change is a grading system for each application to make it a little more competitive.  I’m very excited for what’s to come!”

    This year’s LeadOn cohort includes:

    Cody Bennett, Mike Woolf Farming

    Samuel Dircks, Setton Farms

    Nolon Doss, Doss Agricultural Services

    Timarie Hansen, Hansen Ranches & McMarketing Company

    Carlson Herbert, ECO2MIX, Inc.

    Sean Hixson, Western Milling

    Seth Kirk, Seth Kirk Farms

    Cristian Lazcano, Meridian Growers

    Vikram Mann, Diversified Land Management, LLC

    Jonathan Martin, Paragon Personnel, Valley Ag Holdings LLC, Rooted Asset Management

    Esmeralda Miranda, Western Agricultural Processors Association

    Macie Movsesian, Valov Brothers Farms, LP

    Michael Pineda, B4M Land Management

    Aldo Ramirez, Manulife Investment Management

    Silas Rossow, California Ag Solutions

    Hannah Scott, Setton Farms

    Ricardo Soto, Meridian Growers Processing

    Expected to graduate at APG’s 2026 annual Pistachio Industry Conference, this 2025-26 class will meet each month covering topics ranging from pistachio production and processing to marketing, food safety to government relations and advocacy, etc… Learn more about this year’s cohort in the coming issues of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.  The monthly “LeadOn Spotlight” column will highlight each of the class members and their commitment to the future of the pistachio industry, as written by Pacific Nut Producer Editor Matthew Malcolm, an alumni of the program who serves on the LeadOn Committee. Subscribe to receive the monthly publication HERE.

  • Setton Pistachio Announces First Annual Drone Challenge Contest

    Setton Pistachio Announces First Annual Drone Challenge Contest

    Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc., the nation’s second-largest pistachio grower and processor, is excited to announce the recipients of their first annual Drone Challenge contest. This initiative was launched as part of Setton’s commitment to fostering advanced education for students and to encourage the development of future technology leaders and innovators. For more information, visit www.settonfarms.com.

    Setton partnered with Harmony Magnet Academy (Academy of Aviation and Leadership), Porterville Military Academy (Academy of Engineering), Strathmore High School (Emerging Agriculture Technology Academy), and Granite Hills High School (Computer Operations Development in Education Academy), which created teams of students to participate in the challenge. Setton provided the drones, and each team was tasked with designing, developing, testing, and deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for targeted operational missions. The school with the winning team received $5,000, and each student received $500. The second-place school received $2,500, and the third-place school received $1,000. Additionally, all the other students received a participation award of $250.

    The 2025 recipients are: first place, Granite Hills High School (students: Christian Gutierrez, Carlos Lara, Shane Thornton, Teddy Santoyo, Ezikel Jimenez, and Rodrigo Millan); second place, Porterville Military Academy (Team 1, students: Connor Lanning, Ariyiah Brazell, Iyari Saucedo, Sawyer Stephens, Abraham Valdovinos, and Aidsa Landeros); and third place, Porterville Military Academy (Team 3, students: Andrew Lemus, Luke Mathis, Jesus Nunez, Marcello Magana, Wendy Tapia, and Bryan Miranda).

    “Setton is proud to provide local high school students who excel in hands-on engineering a platform to innovate and collaborate,” said Setton Farms General Manager Lee Cohen. “This project supports our community outreach effort to foster the importance of integrating technology into local educational curriculum. It was excitingto launch this inaugural competition, and we were extremely impressed by the students’ exceptional projects.”

    “Our CODE pathway students have embodied the graduate outcome skills we expect of our students throughout this drone challenge, especially collaboration and problem-solving,” said Granite Hills High School Principal Jacob Bowker. I am extremely proud of their commitment to excellence and their persistence, as a team, throughout this inquiry process. It’s great to be a Grizzly!”

    Projects were judged on the effectiveness of mission accomplishment, flight plan efficiency, power management, cargo and payload planning, workflow design, mission complexity, and flight logs. The judging panel was comprised of Setton employees, school representatives, and local leaders. Winners were honored at an award luncheon at Setton Pistachio on Friday, April 25.

    Setton Farms launched its College Educational Scholarship Program in 2016 and has awarded 159 scholarships to employees, local community members, and students worth $199,750. For more information on available programs and Setton’s ongoing mission, please contact Patricia Murcia at (559) 535-6050.

    About Setton Farms:

    Setton Farms, the second largest pistachio grower-processor in the United States, is a family-owned and operated brand located in the heart of Central Valley, California since 1986. Highly regarded as “America’s Best Tasting Pistachios,” and widely recognized for its superior quality and tradition of excellence, Setton Farms grows, harvests, processes and manufactures pistachios using renewable energy, eco-friendly practices, and proprietary techniques. Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. offers an established line of premium in-shell and kernel pistachio products that are non-GMO project verified, certified gluten-free, organic and kosher, while a select variety features the AHA heart-check mark. Setton provides pistachios to more than 60 foreign markets worldwide and distributes to wholesalers and retailers throughout the United States. For more information, visit settonfarms.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and BlueSky.

  • USDA Forecasts Slightly Larger Almond Crop

    USDA Forecasts Slightly Larger Almond Crop

    Almond Board of California — The 2025 California Almond Subjective Forecast, published May 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), estimates that the crop harvested in 2025 will come in at 2.8 billion pounds, 3 percent above last year’s 2.73 billion pounds.

    Forecasted yield is 2,010 pounds per acre, up 30 pounds from the 2024 harvest.

    “This larger crop estimate is what the industry expected after a solid water winter and generally good weather during bloom, but it’s also a testament to the hard work done by almond farmers throughout California,” said Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California. “Demand for California almonds around the globe continues to grow and our almond farmers constantly deliver, producing high quality California almonds to meet that demand.”

    The report shared that the 2025 almond bloom began the first week of February in the Sacramento Valley and peaked during the middle of the month. The weather during bloom varied throughout the state, with storms bringing heavy rainfall, wind and hail. Crop development in the San Joaquin Valley was slower than normal due to cool temperatures and lower bee flight hours. However, conditions improved in early March with warm temperatures accelerating the crop’s progress through the end of bloom.

    There were also reports of significantly lower yields in the Nonpareil variety due to an overall lighter flower set than their pollinators. The impact on orchards from the intense summer heat in 2024 continues to be assessed. Growers are actively irrigating, fertilizing and treating their orchards for pests and diseases. Water is not expected to be an issue this year.

    This Subjective Forecast is the first of two production reports from USDA-NASS for the coming crop year. It is an estimate based on opinions from a survey conducted from April 21 to May 7 of 500 randomly selected California almond growers. The sample of growers, which changes every year, is spread across regions and different sized operations, and they had the option to report their data by mail, online or phone.

    On July 10, USDA-NASS will release its second production estimate, the 2025 California Almond Objective Report, which will be based on actual almond counts in approximately 1,000 orchards using a more statistically rigorous methodology to determine yield.

    This Subjective Forecast comes two weeks after Land IQ’s 2025 Standing Acreage Initial Estimate found that bearing almond acreage in California has slightly increased about 6,000 acres from the previous year to 1.389 million bearing acres.

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

  • Coach Prime Reveals the Nutrition Game Plan to Level Up Your Life — Almonds

    Coach Prime Reveals the Nutrition Game Plan to Level Up Your Life — Almonds

    Almond Board of California — Spring may be the offseason for football, but that doesn’t mean players stop putting in the work every day to stay on top of their game. Players aren’t in it alone though, which is why the ultimate motivator, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and California Almonds have teamed up to share how almonds and exercise recovery can help you own your prime, both on and off the field.

    “Almonds are not just a snack to me. They’re part of MY JOURNEY. They’re one of my pillars of consistency in preparing both physically and mentally for whatever’s next. And for me, that means at the HIGHEST LEVEL,” says Coach. “Your PRIME has no end destination… it’s A JOURNEY. And that journey should always be evolving and growing towards that place that you call ‘there’. In order to DOMINATE in that journey, you gotta put in the WORK – and it ain’t gonna be easy. Recovery is a key part of that journey, and you need to make sure you are recovering right.”

    Owning your prime is a mindset, not a moment. Coach Prime doesn’t just coach his players, he instills a consistent hunger for improvement and daily dedication – a lesson that can evolve your life too. Whether it’s taking daily walks, increasing lifting reps or training for a marathon, consistency is key. Hit a milestone? Celebrate and put in the work to reach your goal. To help you push to the next level, Coach Prime is dropping his wisdom to help you achieve your goals:

    Tip 1: Prime Time Health – Mind and Body in Sync
    If you ain’t takin’ care of YOU, how you gonna show up for anybody else? Your health? It’s non-negotiable. Gotta keep your mind sharp and your body ready for anything. That’s why I’m all about making the time to focus on my goals and taking care of myself. You want to stay prime? Then keep yourself right. Let’s ride!

    Tip 2: Fuel Up Like a Champion
    Listen, PRIME is ALL the time, and that means fueling up like a CHAMP. Right after my morning workout, I’m going for a handful of almonds for exercise recovery, then a power breakfast: oatmeal or grits, egg whites, and turkey bacon to keep me ready for whatever the day brings. Don’t get it twisted—you can hit a cheat meal every now and then, but when the foundation is solid, you will stay PRIME every single day.

    Tip 3: Every Day is PRIME
    It doesn’t matter if it’s game day, spending time with the fam, or reeling in the big catch, you always gotta be locked in, all day, every day. It don’t matter what day of the week it is—every day is game day when you’re living prime. IT DON’T STOP, BABY! You’re either in or you’re out, but PRIME don’t take days off!

    When you have your head in the game, an important part of reaching your goals is taking care of your body. Like Coach Prime emphasizes, exercise recovery helps you stay at your best and almonds can help you recover from exercise. Groundbreaking research shows that most study participants who ate two servings of almonds, (vs. a calorie matched cereal bar,) for four weeks prior to completing 90 minutes of exercise, reported reduced fatigue and tension, increased leg and lower back strength during recovery, and decreased muscle damage during the first day of recovery after completing the exercise.1 This research, funded by the Almond Board of California, was conducted over four weeks among 64 healthy, non-smoking U.S. adults ages 30 – 65 who are occasional exercisers (less than three sessions a week).

    For more tips on how to own your prime from Coach Prime himself, visit almonds.com/own-your-prime and follow Coach on Instagram to learn more about ways to own your prime in real time.

  • Economist Shares How California Farmers Should Respond to Economic Uncertainty

    Economist Shares How California Farmers Should Respond to Economic Uncertainty

    Economic uncertainty can be quite unsettling and can make important business and investment decisions difficult to navigate. Inflating costs, threatening tariffs and a volatile stock market are very concerning, especially in a state like California. World-renowned economist and financial expert Marci Rossell met with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network following a presentation she delivered to a group of American Pistachio Growers to address these concerns as they relate specifically to California farmers, whose success rely quite heavily on a healthy export market. Watch this brief interview to learn more.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.

  • Untimely, New Law in California that Farm Employers Need to be Aware of

    Untimely, New Law in California that Farm Employers Need to be Aware of

    California laws and regulations continue changing, often causing unnecessary hardships on businesses in the state. A new law has passed in California, effective January 1, 2025 (often referred to as the “Captive Audience Meetings” law) that farm employers need to be aware of. Ron Barsamian, legal advisor to the California Fresh Fruit Association, shared the details of this new law, The California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act, with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network and how to safely navigate the changes. Watch this brief interview to learn more.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.
  • California Almond Industry Reaches Record Sales with Opportunities for Worldwide Market Growth

    California Almond Industry Reaches Record Sales with Opportunities for Worldwide Market Growth

    While tariffs and other trade barriers remain a high concern, the California almond industry has been experiencing record sales growth and shipments worldwide.  The Almond Board of California (ABC) remains optimistic for both the near and longterm future of the industry, continuing investments in new market development and research on new ways for consumers to enjoy this nutrient-dense product. Watch this video as ABC CEO Clarice Turner provides insight on what almond growers and marketers can anticipate with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network as shared at the recent annual Convention of the Almond Alliance of California.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.

  • Safe Food California Conference Returning After Six Year Hiatus

    Safe Food California Conference Returning After Six Year Hiatus

    Food safety professionals in the dried fruit, nut and fresh fruit industries will be gathering in Monterey this June for DFA of California’s Safe Food Conference.  This annual event finally returns after a six-year hiatus.  Watch this video as Hillari Bynum from DFA of California shares more details about the conference with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network and what food safety professionals have long awaited.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor  SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.

  • New Study Reveals Eye Health Benefits of Consuming Pistachios

    New Study Reveals Eye Health Benefits of Consuming Pistachios

    A new study on the health benefits of pistachios may have consumers ditching their sunglasses and eating pistachios instead for eye protection. A natural ingredient unique to pistachios is responsible for this amazing impact on eye health.  American Pistachio Growers’ Senior Director of Global Nutrition & Marketing Amber Wilson met with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share the details of this research and the impact it’s having on consumers worldwide.  Watch this video and read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.

  • Four Trending Products with American Pistachios that Consumers are Raving about Worldwide

    Four Trending Products with American Pistachios that Consumers are Raving about Worldwide

    Pistachios are trending worldwide, not only as a snack, but also as an ingredient. At American Pistachio Growers (APG) annual Pistachio Industry Conference, growers got to taste the success of APG’s recent strategic partnerships. Sampling a high-value Pistachio & Kunafa (Dubai Style) Chocolate made exclusively with American pistachios was one such product everyone enjoyed, and consumers are raving about it worldwide. Pacific Nut Producer Editor Matthew Malcolm met with APG’s International Director of Marketing, Suzanne Devereaux, and in-country India representative, Sumit Saran, to highlight these new trending products that are strengthening the global demand for American pistachios. Watch this brief interview and read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor SQM Specialty Plant Nutrition for their industry support.