Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Tag: Almond Board of California

  • Creating A Safe, Clean Home For Stockpiled Almonds

    Once harvest kicks off, stockpiles of in-hull almonds become a favorite spot for Aspergillus mold as the moisture in almonds, combined with larger swings in air temperature from day to evening, result in elevated moisture levels and create a hospitable environment for the damaging mold to thrive.

    Aspergillus mold produces aflatoxin that causes significant food safety concerns that can put export shipments at risk as there are stringent maximum limits for aflatoxin contamination in key markets. High moisture levels in stockpiles can also lead to black mold on hulls and concealed damage of kernels – a condition in which nuts develop off-colAspergillus moldor and off-flavors after roasting.

    Proper moisture control before stockpiling, and regular monitoring and adjusting of moisture levels in stockpiled almonds can help to limit the amount of moisture build-up and prevent these issues. Prior to stockpiling, field samples should be taken either before sweeping or in the windrow. Because there can be great variability in the moisture levels of crop that is drying on the ground, growers should sample from areas where the moisture content is likely highest. The highest moisture levels prior to sweeping can typically be found in almonds on the north side of the canopy next to the trunk. For windrows, moisture levels are higher in the bottom layer of almonds. Moisture content for almonds should be below 6% for the in-shell kernel, less than 9% for the total fruit (in-hull almond) and less than 12% moisture content for hulls. If moisture exceeds these recommended levels, growers should hold off on stockpiling and take the crop to a dry area where the nuts can be turned and spread to reduce moisture. Machine drying is also an option.

    Once almonds are ready for stockpiling, the orientation and shape of the stockpile plays an important role in moisture management. Stockpiles should be placed on a firm surface in an area that encourages optimal drainage – either with a raised or sloped bottom. Creating drainage channels can further prevent water or rain from affecting stockpiles. Since condensation and mold growth are typically worse on the north end of a pile, it’s recommended to position the long side of the stockpile on a north-south axis to minimize that effect. Finally, one should ensure that each stockpile has an even, flat top to reduce the number of areas where condensation can build up on the underside of the tarp.

    With stockpiles in place, hullers/shellers should implement proper management practices to keep moisture in check. While covering stockpiles with tarps is important, tarp selection is just as important to keep humidity minimized. White-on-black tarps work best as they minimize temperature fluctuations. Clear tarps allow the greatest temperature fluctuations, but are fine to use on dry, in-hull almonds that are below the moisture threshold. And white tarps fall somewhere in the middle in terms of their ability to minimize temperature fluctuations. When ongoing moisture monitoring indicates that moisture levels are too high, hullers/shellers should open up the tarps during the day to allow moisture to escape and cover again at night.

    Additionally, it’s important to manage trash, dust and other potential contaminants, particularly pests like insects and rodents who can spread bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. When disease-carrying pests are found they should be treated, as needed, keeping detailed records if fumigants are used.

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) is committed to continued research into best practices around almond storage and processing. You can learn more about stockpile management in ABC’s “Stockpile Management Best Practices” guide. This resource provides valuable information on creating and managing stockpiles in ways that help our industry deliver a safe, high-quality product to the U.S. and around the world.

  • Does FSMA No Longer Apply to Almond Growers?

    With the recent announcement that almonds would be exempt from the Produce Safety Rule under FSMA, growers may think they got off the hook regarding extra trainings and documentation for food safety practices in the field, but watch this video with Tim Birmingham from the Almond Board of California who clarifies the recent change. Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Managing Weeds is Key to Improving Yields & Orchard Health

    Almond Board of California — Weeds are a seemingly constant issue in the orchard. If not managed properly, they can create competition among young trees, clog micro-irrigation systems, use and generate uneven irrigation and contribute to a messy orchard floor during harvest. Good weed management, then, starts with identifying the weeds in your orchard, which requires constant, attentive monitoring.

    The University of California’s (UC) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines recommend the following actions for monitoring weeds:

    • Survey your orchard for weeds in late fall and again in late spring.
    • Monitor the orchard in a thorough fashion. Include the entire orchard as well as field margins, ditch banks and irrigation canals in your survey.
    • Examine all areas that are susceptible to weed infestation, like areas of high moisture. Collect important information such as weed species, location in the field, degree of control achieved with current program, and herbicides applied.
    • Record observations on a survey form that includes a map so the infested sites can be revisited for weed control. Pay particular attention to perennial weeds and other problem weeds and note their location on the map.
    • Record weeds found in rows and middles separately. Weeds in tree rows must be managed, but annual weeds in row middles — i.e. cover crops — may have some benefit as an orchard floor cover.

    Once you know what you’re dealing with, look to select herbicides or other control techniques based on what kinds of weeds are actually present in the orchard. The UC IPM website provides a comprehensive list of common and scientific names of weeds, along with photos and descriptions of each. You can find that list here.

    In the late spring, the most important invasive weeds to look out for are perennial weeds. These weeds can be a pervasive problem for almond growers, so weed management practices should be geared toward preventing their growth in the rows or row middles of the orchard. Common perennial weeds you’ll see are Bermudagrass, Johnsongrass, Dallisgrass, Nutsedges and White Clovers. Also, tufted perennial grasses such as threespike goosegrass are especially problematic during the beginning years of tree nut establishment due to their ability to reduce three growth by competing for water, nutrients and sunlight. Once the almond trees reach their fourth leaf, established plants can reduce harvest efficiency by making it more difficult to recover nuts from the orchard floor at harvest. The UC IPM website provides a late-spring weed survey form to help you identify these pests as June approaches.

    Once weeds are properly identified and the correct herbicides are applied, it’s vital to control herbicide resistance by using a variety of weed-control strategies. Failure to do so can result in the rapid loss of an herbicide’s effectiveness — and there are very few new herbicide technologies in the pipeline.

    Detecting resistance is the second step in preventing resistance. Patterns of herbicide resistance include patches of dense weeds with less dense populations radiating out from the central patch and weeds that have escaped control, scattered throughout the field.

    To combat resistance and reduce weed seed spreading, the UC IPM recommends the follow steps:

    • Rotate herbicides that have different modes of action and Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) group numbers.
      • Drew Wolter, UCCE Junior Specialist Horticulture Intern under Brad Hanson recently published an article on herbicide performance that helps demonstrate the importance of rotating applications.
    • Monitor for weed survival after an herbicide application.
    • Include non-chemical weed control methods such as cultivation or hand weeding.
    • Clean equipment after working in weed-contaminated orchards to prevent the spread of weed seeds.
    • Control weeds suspected of herbicide resistance before they can produce seed.
    • If weeds escape treatment, use shovels, hoes, and other hand tools to cut the plants below the soil surface to prevent flowering.
    • Use a pre-emergent herbicide before weeds appear. When the weeds emerge in fall and spring, consider splitting applications to meet the multiple emergence windows.

    Weed management is vital to a successful growing season and — with the right steps — can improve the yield and growth of established trees.

    For more resources regarding weed management, please visit the follow links on the UC IPM website:

  • Almond Board of CA Explores Options for Exporting Almond Biomass

    With all the new almond acreage coming into production, that means more almond hulls and shells to find a home for.  So what are some economical options?  Watch this brief interview with Julie Adams from the Almond Board of California to discuss options for exporting these coproducts overseas.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Almond Board Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Food Safety

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) has been selected to receive the GMA Food Safety Award from the International Association for Food Protection, in recognition of the Board’s “preeminence in and contributions to the field of food safety.” The award comes after nearly 50 years of Almond Board-funded research and innovation leading to numerous improvements in the way almonds are harvested and handled to ensure safety.

    “This award is the culmination of many years and countless hours of work by ABC staff, researchers, and industry leaders to elevate California almonds to an honored, best of class, position in the field of food safety,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board. “While much of this work often goes on out of the view of the public eye, this recognition will shed some much-deserved light on the work of the dedicated team of food safety professionals at the Almond Board and our colleagues in the industry.”

    ABC’s submission for the award detailed nearly five decades of research and advancements in food safety funded by the almond industry through the Almond Board.

    “ABC is honored to be the recipient of the 2019 GMA Food Safety Award in recognition of our long- term commitment to food safety, and we are truly humbled to be included in the long line of extremely worthy past recipients,” said Tim Birmingham, ABC director of Quality Assurance and Industry Services. “Food safety is a cornerstone of what we do. Since the early 2000s, ABC has been focused on producing the highest quality, safest crop possible through research, food safety programs and industry wide education. We will continue to look for ways to improve, and share what we know, to help ensure the integrity of tree nuts and low moisture foods in general to protect consumers around the world.”

    The most recent advances in almond safety began in 2007 with the establishment of the mandatory pasteurization program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. Since the implementation of the self-imposed pasteurization program there have been no reported foodborne illnesses related to almond consumption.

    “The credit for this award really belongs to the almond growers and handlers who invested their hard earned dollars in the research and the ABC Board of Directors’ willingness to make difficult decisions that put the good of the industry ahead of individual concerns,” said Birmingham. “But while the award is nice recognition, the real payoff is in the foodborne illnesses that have been prevented by the collective efforts of the industry, demonstrating our commitment to food safety from the orchard to the consumer.”

    The GMA Food Safety Award is sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and will be presented on Wednesday, July 24, at IAFP 2019 in Louisville, Ky.

    About the Almond Board of California

    California Almonds make life better by what we grow and how we grow. The Almond Board of California promotes natural, wholesome and quality almonds through leadership in strategic market development, innovative research, and accelerated adoption of industry best practices on behalf of the more than 6,800 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit Almonds.com or check out California Almonds on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and the California Almonds blog.

  • Future Industry Leaders Begin Yearlong Almond Experience: Almond Leadership Program Welcomes its 11th Class

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) today announced its 2019 Almond Leadership Program class. These 19 promising leaders represent diverse backgrounds across multiple industries, from almond growers, processors and food safety specialists to marketing experts, sales representatives and even a dentist who has a passion for farming.
    Almond Leadership Program participants will spend the next year growing in their roles as the future generation of California almond industry leaders. They will learn from volunteer mentors who will help equip program participants with the knowledge and experience necessary to improve their leadership skills, the industry and their communities.
    The class will complete specialized training in a wide variety of topic areas, many of which are tied to ABC activities in marketing, trade stewardship, scientific research, food safety and more.
    As a kickoff to the program, Leadership class members participated in a two-day orientation, which included a State of the Industry address from ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott and Chair of the Board of Directors Holly King. Waycott and King highlighted the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals and the almond community’s commitment to continuous improvement, which are cornerstones of this year’s Almond Leadership Program.
    As they progress through the program, Leadership members will gain a stronger understanding of how the social, economic and scientific issues facing our world today — combined with the current political climate — affect the almond industry. They’ll also learn how all sectors in the almond supply chain work together to provide a safe, sustainable product. Through monthly seminars that span topics reaching all aspects of the industry, Leadership members will sharpen their communication skills while building relationships that will span their careers.
    Each participant will also select an area of interest to explore as part of a yearlong self-directed project. These projects will all focus on ways to help advance industry knowledge, andsome past projects even led to important breakthroughs for the industry.At the end of the year, one participant will be selected to present their project at The Almond Conference 2019, held this year at Cal Expo in Sacramento.
    “This program helps mold great people into even greater leaders — the leaders we will one day look toward to shape the future of the almond industry,” said Jenny Nicolau, senior manager, Industry Relations and Communications, ABC. “Each graduate from the Almond Leadership Program has gone on to be a leader of change in the industry or their community in some capacity, and this group will be no different. They are bright and talented, and obviously problem-solvers, and we are honored to be partners on this yearlong journey.”
    Over the past ten years, the Almond Leadership Program has graduated more than 150 participants and supported many key initiatives benefiting the industry. This year’s class will continue the tradition of raising funds for California Future Farmers of America (FFA) and has pledged to raise more than $20,000 in scholarships for high school students interested in pursuing agriculture in college.
    Members of this year’s class include: Maria Gabriela Chavarria, Harris Woolf California Almonds; Louis Brichetto, L.F. Brichetto Farming; Dominique Camou, Famoso Nut Company; Rocky Dhaliwal, Valley Pride Farming; Brian Erickson, Erickson Orchards; Haley Fields, Ali Cox & Company Marketing; Purnima Gupta, K&G Ranches; Joseph Jackson, Hillside Orchards; Falastine “Fill” Munoz, Grizzly Nut, LLC; April Nuckles, HarvestPort; Kristina Qualls, South Valley Almond Company, LLC; Brett Richesin, Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.; Dylan Rogers, AgroLiquid; Lucas Schmidt, Grow West; Victor Thao, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Jerrett Thomason, Wells Fargo Food and Agribusiness; Chris VanderStoel, VanderStoel Farm; Connor Wagner, Wagner Land Company; and Chandler Wilson, NutriAg Group Ltd.

  • How Retaliatory Tariffs are Impacting the Almond Industry

    There has been a lot of talk and concern about the retaliatory tariffs impacting the California almond industry, and as almond production continues increasing, just how is this all going to impact the market? Watch this brief interview with Julie Adams from the Almond Board of California as she responds to these concerns, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • California Almond Industry Sets Sights High with 2025 Goals

    The Almond Board of California recently unveiled their vision of industry in 2025 and set some ambitious goals on how to get there.  These goals were not just made for the sake of pleasing the consumer and community, but also for the longterm success and viability of the industry moving forward.  Watch this brief interview as Daren Williams from the Almond Board of California explains, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.  Don’t currently receive the magazine?

  • USDA to Support California Almond Industry

    Growers have until the end of day Feb. 14th to sign up for the USDA market facilitation program created in response to the retaliatory tariffs.  USDA is also supporting the California almond industry in other ways. Watch this brief interview with Julie Adams from the Almond Board of California for more information.

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  • Josette Lewis Joins Almond Board of CA as Director of Ag Affairs

    In her role, Lewis will leverage more than 20 years of government, academic, nonprofit and corporate experience in agriculture research and policy.

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) welcomes Josette Lewis, PhD, to the organization as new director of Agricultural Affairs. In her position, Lewis will focus on the development, funding and strategy of ABC’s research program. Lewis most recently served as associate vice president of Sustainable Agriculture at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

    Lewis holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her career in agricultural research and policy spans the government, academic, nonprofit and tech-based corporate sectors. Prior to EDF, she was associate director of the World Food Center at the University of California, Davis. Lewis began her career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She currently serves on advisory committees for the James Beard Foundation and the International Life Sciences Institute, and has served on an advisory committee for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

    “My colleagues and I are thrilled to welcome Josette Lewis to the ABC team. She not only complements our existing skill sets and experience — she adds many new and valuable dimensions,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO, ABC. “Her acumen and expertise will serve the California almond industry very well as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie before us.”

    Research is an important area of focus for the Almond Board as it fuels key initiatives like the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, which set industry-wide targets in the areas of water efficiency, zero waste, environmentally friendly pest management and air quality. In her new role, Lewis will oversee ABC’s multi-million dollar annual investment in research projects exploring next-generation farming practices including optimal use of everything almond orchards grow.

    “My career has centered on the interface of research and action — interpreting research findings to create solutions that people can use,” Lewis said. “Building on the strong legacy of Bob Curtis, I look forward to advancing almond research that ultimately puts knowledge, tools and practices in the hands of growers, processors, policy makers and other important audiences. I am fascinated by almond production and excited to join the dynamic group at ABC.”

    Robert Curtis retired in 2018 after spending more than 45 years directing agricultural affairs at ABC. Since 1973, almond farmers and processors have invested $80 million in research through the Almond Board to improve understanding of almonds’ impact on human health, ensure food quality and safety, and improve farming practices while minimizing environmental impacts.