Almond Journey: Recent Episodes
Almond Journey
This show explores how almond growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the industry forward.
Host Tim Hammerich is visiting with almond leaders throughout California who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
Hearing the voices of these industry leaders might spark a connection or idea you can use in your own journey. That’s why we want to feature these stories of innovation, resilience, and community.
Lee Erickson joined the Journey to discuss his almond story and experiences buying and building a fertilizer company. We also talk about his industry involvement and lessons learned while working with family in his multi-generational ventures. Erickson is the managing partner of TEP, Inc. and a partner in Erickson Farms, which produces almonds, grapes, olives, pistachios and prunes on about 3,000 acres in Madera, California. He also serves on the board of directors of the Central California Almond Growers Association and is the vice chair of the Almond Board of California’s Global Communications Committee.
“I own the company, but we also farm. So I know exactly what growers are going through…Watch what you're getting. Make sure what you're spending your money on is making you money. Especially right now, we're all tightening our belts.” - Lee Erickson
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Lee Erickson, almond grower and entrepreneur, who sits down with the Almond Board’s Taylor Hillman and podcast host Tim Hammerich.
- Discover the lessons and insights Erickson has gleaned from buying and building a fertilizer company
- Explore the dynamics of working in a multigenerational family business
- Understand the rewards and responsibilities of getting involved on boards and committees
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
California almonds are making waves in China’s healthy snacking revolution, thanks to a dynamic partnership with Tmall — the country’s largest e-commerce platform. By leveraging the power of key opinion leaders (KOLs) and live-streamed shopping events, the Almond Board of California has driven almond awareness and sales to new heights. But the strategy is evolving, it’s no longer just about selling almonds, but also about inspiring innovation and shaping the future of almond products in China.
With Tmall’s deep data insights, the Almond Board is helping Chinese brands discover new ways to use almonds, from beauty snacks and functional beverages to bakery items and savory treats. The launch of an almond innovation white paper has provided manufacturers with a roadmap for product development, motivating the industry to reimagine almonds as a versatile, premium ingredient. Discover how California almonds are positioned at the heart of China’s next generation of healthy products.
Kabir Tumber joined the Journey to discuss his background in economics and retail, and how that informs him in his current role in supply chain strategy at Blue Diamond Growers. Tumber grew up on a family farm in Yuba City where his family grew peaches, walnuts and prunes. After earning a bachelor’s and master's in economics from UC Davis, he worked as a consultant at the intersection of agriculture, water and economics.
“I think the best transfer of knowledge is amongst the grower community. Hearing from those early adopters of, ‘Hey, this is my experience, and this is why I continue to do it.’ That's what I try to support or help facilitate in my role.” - Kabir Tumber
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Kabir Tumber, the senior manager of membership development and sustainable agriculture at Blue Diamond Growers
- Discover the many macro and micro trends that are taken into account to determine what products are the best fit for grocery shelves and consumers
- Explore the nuance of incorporating sustainability not only into farming practices but into marketing opportunities
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In the October Almond Byte, get the latest global trade updates from ABC’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. Highlights include Turkey’s removal of retaliatory tariffs on almonds — a potential major win for market growth — plus ongoing trade discussions with India, updates from Washington, and insight into how diversification is strengthening export stability worldwide. You’ll also meet new ABC team member Lindsay Tello, joining as Keith Schneller transitions toward retirement, and get a preview of key global trade sessions planned for The Almond Conference, December 10–12 in Sacramento.
Rob Kiss joined the Journey to discuss working as a pest control advisor (PCA), some of the current pest risks facing almond growers, and the importance of working together for industry priorities like research. Kiss recently retired from Bayer Crop Science where he worked as a pest control advisor and customer business advisor. His almond journey started in 1955 when his grandpa planted almonds in Livingston, California. He remembers growing up around those almonds and how they influenced him to eventually pursue a career as a PCA.
“The clock is ticking on how to control navel orangeworm. In addition to that, we have this carpophilus beetle. We've got a daunting task ahead of us, and we all have got to work together.” - Rob Kiss
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Rob Kiss, one of the first licensed pest control advisors in California and recently retired customer business advisor at Bayer Crop Science
- Understand the value of PCA and grower collaborations
- Explore emerging pest dangers and what producers need to be aware of to protect their crop
- Discover the significance of timing of treatments to improve input efficacy and avoid unfavorable outcomes
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Michelle Penney joined the Journey to discuss the importance of food safety in the almond industry. Penney comes from a multigenerational farming family and works as the food safety manager at Del Rio Nut Company. In this episode, Penney talks about quality and safety when it comes to almonds, implementing food safety programs, obtaining certifications and collaborating with people across the industry.
“When we're packing these almonds, we're not just putting nuts in a box. We are sending almonds internationally that are going to be consumed by somebody. So, we are feeding the world and we want do that in a safe way.” - Michelle Penney
In today’s episode:
- Meet Michelle Penney, fifth-generation almond grower and food safety manager at Del Rio Nut Company
- Understand the significance of food safety programs and the impact they have on growing the demand for almonds
- Reflect on Penney’s experience with the Almond Leadership Program and her involvement on the Almond Board’s Global Communications Committee.
- Consider the importance of quality and food safety in California almonds and how it continues to drive value
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Get the latest on ABC’s global outreach in the September Almond Byte: highlights from China’s International Tree Nuts Conference, India’s big win cutting GST on almonds from 12% to 5%, and movement in U.S.–EU trade talks as a proposed list of goods has been created. See how these shifts can unlock demand, spur innovation, and open doors for California almonds worldwide.
Scott Hermann joined the Journey to discuss the latest in orchard equipment, some of the history behind these machines, and the path toward autonomous equipment in the almond industry. Hermann is the general manager and CEO of TOL Incorporated, which manufactures and distributes pruning equipment and their Twin D Shaker throughout North America. Hermann also shares some of his work on the Almond Board of California’s Production Stewardship Workgroup. This interview was another one of the many valuable conversations recorded at the Almond Conference 2024.
“ Maybe they're not ready to go full off-ground (harvesting), but semi off-ground in this level. We see a lot of people now saying, yeah, that works. That makes sense. I can save money and I can get rid of the dust.” - Scott Hermann
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Scott Hermann, the general manager and CEO of TOL Incorporated
- Explore the latest in pruning and harvest equipment
- Discover the industry insight Hermann has found and the value he has added to the Almond Board’s Production Stewardship Workgroup
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Chris Chavez joined the Journey to share his story of not coming from an agricultural background and thriving in a successful career in the almond industry. Today, Chavez is the director of almond trading at OFI and he reflected on his experiences trading almonds, partnering with a food company to explore regenerative almond production and joining the Almond Board of California’s Environmental Stewardship Workgroup.
“The almond industry in general is a very collaborative environment. Obviously, there are a lot of different handlers, and theoretically, we're all competitors, but really, I think before we're competitors, we're all almond industry members.” - Chris Chavez
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Chris Chavez, the director of almond trading at OFI
- Discover Chavez’s journey into the agricultural industry, specifically in almonds
- Learn about OFI operations and the many industry partners they collaborate with globally
- Understand why Chavez is passionate about the work ABC’s Environmental Stewardship Workgroup is doing
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this Almond Byte episode, the Almond Board of California’s Global Trade and Regulatory Affairs (GTRA) team takes a look back at the 2024/25 crop year, highlighting progress on key trade and technical fronts. From securing a breakthrough aflatoxin pre-testing protocol for almond exports to Japan, to helping a 50% tariff reduction in Pakistan, ABC’s efforts have expanded market access and strengthened global partnerships. The review also covers new initiatives in Morocco, Turkey, India, and beyond, as well as the recognition of almond quality standards at the UNECE forum and collaborative work with regulators to ensure the continued global movement of California almonds.
In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, Julie Adams, vice president of global technical and regulatory affairs at The Almond Board of California (ABC), hosts a few special guests to discuss a recent Moroccan trade mission visit to California. Adams is joined by Jason New, division director of marketing and development at the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and Jason Fearneyhough, executive director of the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA). Adams and guests discuss the recent inbound trade mission, synergies between states all looking to expand trade with the African region, and the importance of these in-person visits.
“You have actual independent state departments of agriculture, a regional trade group, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and Businesses coming together is such a wonderful model to get that message across.” - Jason Fearneyhough
In Today’s episode:
- Learn about the inbound Moroccan trade mission to California.
- Hear from Jason New of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture about the significance of this trade relationship and New Mexico’s interest in joining this tour of California
- Gain insights from NASDA’s Ted Mckinney and WUSATA’s Jason Fearneyhough on the importance of cultivating relationships with trade partners and forming public-private partnerships.
- Discover how this trade mission will impact the future of the almond industry.
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In July's Almond Byte, international trade developments take center stage. A Moroccan delegation visited California in late June, engaging with almond handlers and ABC staff to discuss export solutions that could open new trade opportunities. Meanwhile, Pakistan has slashed almond import tariffs by 50%, the result of years of collaboration between ABC and other stakeholders to boost almond access and demand. Encouraging news also comes from the EU, where import inspections under the Pre-Export Check (PEC) program have returned to below 1%. Finally, almond exporters to China should take note: facility registration renewals through GACC are now open for eligible firms, and timing is critical.
Brittney Goodrich, Ph.D. joined the Journey to discuss the recent almond cost and return studies. Dr. Goodrich is an assistant professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her previous position as a cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, Davis is where she got involved in performing cost and return studies for a variety of crops. Goodrich highlights some of the key findings of the studies performed last year, and what it means to growers, lenders, regulators and others.
“ Total costs per pound: those increased by anywhere from 47% to 53% between 2019 and 2024.” - Brittney Goodrich, Ph.D.
In today’s episode:
- Meet Brittney Goodrich, assistant professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Understand the significance of cost and return studies to almond growers, lenders, regulators, policy makers, insurance providers and others.
- Reflect on the key findings of the most recent cost and return studies
- Consider the changes in the farm economics of almonds over the past five years since the last studies were conducted
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Cory Broad joined the Journey to discuss the latest in irrigation technology and management. Broad is the agronomic sales manager with AvidWater, and a member of the Production Stewardship Workgroup at The Almond Board of California (ABC). In this episode, Broad discusses his work helping growers with irrigation scheduling, technology utilization, agronomic advice, and getting the most out of their irrigation system.
“I think if you ask most growers, what's your number one challenge? It'll be labor and water. It just depends on whether it rained recently or not. And the easy way around labor in a lot of cases is obviously with automation.” - Cory Broad
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Cory Broad, agronomic sales manager with AvidWater and member of ABC’s Production Stewardship Workgroup
- Reflect on the evolution of irrigation systems in almonds
- Explore the opportunities and challenges in implementing automation in irrigation systems
- Understand the economic and agronomic impacts of optimizing irrigation
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In the latest Almond Byte, highlights from June's Global Update by the Almond Board of California's Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team include critical renewal steps for almond handlers exporting to China, detailed discussions with Chinese officials to strengthen trade relations, and insights from the ABC's 2025 Environmental Stewardship Tour showcasing sustainable farming practices. Additionally, significant updates on international tariff developments and their potential implications for almond trade were covered, emphasizing ongoing negotiations and legal proceedings affecting tariffs with China, the EU, Canada, and Mexico.
Bobbie Williams joins the Journey as both a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and an almond grower. She contributes her expertise as part of the Almond Board of California’s (ABC) Nutrition Research Committee and the Environmental Stewardship Workgroup. Williams discusses her farming background, the latest in nutrition research, the power of pairing the nutrition story with the sustainability story, and her hopes for where this work can lead in the future for this industry.
“The Nutrition Research Committee has a really strong impact in providing evidence that almonds really are a sustainably grown super nut, packed full of nutrients.*” - Bobbie Williams*
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Bobbie Williams who is both a Registered Dietician Nutritionist (RDN) and an almond grower
- Explore the impact on patient care for dieticians in a hospital setting
- Discover the cardiometabolic study demonstrating added benefits to almond consumption
- Learn about the latest consensus paper validating the health benefits of almonds and by reviewing this cardiometabolic infographic supporting their claims
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Mike Sonke joined the Journey to share his perspective as a farmer and grower rep. He also is active with the Almond Board of California (ABC), serving on both the Technical & Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Global Communications Committee. In this interview recorded at the Almond Conference 2024, Sonke shares about his journey into farming, his role with Star Nut, and his thoughts on the industry going forward.
“If you want to change something, the best way to do it is to show up and tell someone that this is what I think. And if more growers did that, you can certainly get your finger in the pie too and change things if that's what you want.” - Mike Sonke
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Mike Sonke, an almond grower, farm manager and grower rep for Star Nut
- Explore Sonke’s journey throughout the industry that has led him to be involved on many levels of the supply chain
- Learn about the most exciting technology Sonke sees developing for the industry
- Discover the top priorities for the Almond Board committees Mike participates in and the impact they have
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from May's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, detail the latest in the complex world of tariffs, examining the recent 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China, and the potential impacts on the supply chain. Hear about the significant trade deal announced by President Trump on May 8, which promises new market access in the UK for American products. Additionally, learn about the European Parliament's decision to postpone the new due diligence and sustainability reporting requirements application dates.
Finally, get the latest outreach efforts in Turkey and Morocco, where the team participated in the Tuksiad conference and conducted the first Almonds 101 workshop in Casablanca. Discover how Turkey's almond imports have surged from 77 million pounds in 2020 to over 151 million pounds in 2025 and learn about the optimistic outlook for further growth as the port of Mersin expands its capacity. Meanwhile, in Morocco, the workshop provided valuable insights into import procedures and fostered new collaborations with local industry stakeholders.
Craig Duerr joined the Almond Journey Podcast to talk about marketing almonds around the world. Duerr has over 25 years of experience in marketing almonds, first with the Almond Board of California, then with Campos Brothers Farms where he currently serves as vice president of global marketing and sales. This discussion explores the past, present and future of growing the demand and value of California almonds.
“ The more we can sell that is involved in what we grow on an almond tree, the better off we're all going to be. We'll keep pushing for innovative ways to use almonds sliced, slivered, diced, meal, and flour and I think we need to push for ways to utilize the hull and the shell and anything else that we can.” - Craig Duerr
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Craig Duerr, vice president of global marketing and sales at Campos Brothers Farms and the current chair of the Almond Board’s Global Marketing Development Committee
- Understand the history of expanding the volume and value of the global market of almonds
- Discover the strategy in promoting almonds as an ingredient to ensure market stability
- Learn about shifts in consumer perception of almonds and the value the industry can get from collecting retail data
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In April's Marketing Bulletin, Laura Morin of the Almond Board of California shares the story behind the Board’s first major food service collaboration—a spring promotion with Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie chain. Currently running around the country from March through May, the partnership positions almonds as a go-to ingredient, promoting exercise recovery and offering customers the option to add almonds to any smoothie. Morin explains that food service trends play a big role in how consumers adopt new foods at home, and ABC saw this as a timely opportunity to highlight current almond messaging. “Smoothie King was an amazing partner to help tell our exercise recovery story,” Morin says. “They already have a health and wellness focus, and when we brought them our nutrition research, they saw real potential in the recovery space.” The collaboration is not only aimed at boosting visibility and volume, but also at gathering insights on consumer behavior to inform future promotions.
Mallorie Hayes joined the Journey to discuss the importance of storytelling, outreach, and education to consumers, legislators, and key stakeholders. During this conversation, she shares her journey into the almond industry and her role in advocating for almond growers. Hayes highlights the industry's efforts in sustainability, legislative engagement and the significance of building strong relationships to advance the industry.
“ Tell everyone about the almond industry: the good work that we're doing, the wonderful product that we have…The more we can get our story out there and be the ones to tell it, I think the better off we will be and the more success we will have.” - Mallorie Hayes
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Mallorie Hayes, government and public affairs manager at Blue Diamond Growers
- Discover the efforts being made by Hayes and others to advocate for the almond industry and reach out to key stakeholders
- Understand the importance of grower involvement in advocacy for the almond industry
- Consider key challenges and opportunities ahead in 2025 and beyond.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode of the Almond Byte, the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team highlights two major regulatory developments shaping almond exports.
First, a major milestone for U.S. almond trade with Japan: USDA and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare have signed a voluntary aflatoxin pre-testing protocol. Years in the making, this agreement significantly reduces Japan’s inspection frequency for protocol participants, helping streamline exports and reduce costs. The episode discusses how handlers can participate and what to expect from implementation.
Then, we shift to the European Union, where the European Commission recently unveiled its “Vision for Agriculture and Food.” In response to last year’s farmer protests, the EU is moving toward tighter import controls — emphasizing mirror clauses, food safety, pesticide regulations and sustainability requirements for imported goods.
Chuck Fleck joined the Journey to discusses the latest in almond genetics and variety development. Fleck is the director of horticulture research at Sierra Gold Nurseries. During this conversation, he shares his journey into breeding almonds and almond rootstocks, what’s driving his breeding program and what excites him about the future of almond genetics. Fleck also discusses a project with Ohalo using gene editing technology to create a self-fertile nonpareil almond tree.
“Nonpareil is the industry standard, but what if other items can come along and create a new industry standard, giving growers more options and not just different versions of the same old options they've got.” - Chuck Fleck
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Chuck Fleck, the director of horticulture research at Sierra Gold Nurseries
- Discover the process of evaluating different rootstocks and the amount of time it takes to produce results
- Explore the advancements being made to create a self-fertile nonpareil almond tree
Check out the Almond Variety Considerations Page as a resource for picking the best variety for your operation and register for the Regional Variety Trial Field Days coming up in April and May.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
March’s Almond Byte brings you the latest insights from the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. This month, ABC made waves at Gulfood 2025, connecting with key buyers and exploring future opportunities in Dubai’s expanding trade landscape. Meanwhile, new tariffs on Chinese imports are impacting the global almond market, with retaliatory duties adding more challenges for exporters. On the opportunity front, Morocco’s booming almond demand is creating exciting prospects for U.S. growers, while an upcoming exploratory trip to Turkey aims to strengthen ties with major processors. Stay tuned for more details on these industry-shaping developments.
Justin Morehead, Christine Gemperle and Darren Rigg all joined the Journey to share about their involvement with the Almond Board of California (ABC). These industry leaders discuss why they’ve decided to stay engaged with ABC over the years, and how their perspectives have changed since becoming involved with committees, work groups and board leadership.
“It's your industry, and if you want to guide where your industry goes, the best way to do it is to be involved. So you've got to get into the game.” - Christine Gemperle
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Almond Board Directors Justin Morehead, Christine Gemperle and Darren Rigg
- Explore their journeys in getting involved with the Almond Board of California through serving in committees, work groups, and on the board of directors
- Understand the benefits of getting involved with the Almond Board like influencing the future of your industry, building relationships and discovering new opportunities to bring back to your business
Learn more about the ABC Board of Directors Election: www.Almonds.com/Elections
Learn more about ABC Committees: www.Almonds.com/Committees
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Fourth-generation farmer James Chinchiolo grows primarily cherries and walnuts in Linden, California. He has two blocks that he’s looking to re-plant and he is considering planting almonds. In this episode, Chinciolo walks us through his thought process for how he’s approaching this decision and shares his framework for determining the best tree crop he should plant next.
“This is kind of like my framework: consumer demand, talk to the salespeople directly, look at the regulatory environment, and then think about my capital expenditure going into them.” - James Chinciolo
In Today’s episode:
- Meet fourth-generation Linden farmer James Chinchiolo who grows primarily cherries and walnuts.
- Explore the thought process Chinchiolo is using to evaluate whether almonds will be the next crop he plants or not
- Understand the many factors he must consider including water access, labor costs, market trends, regulatory policy, consumer demand and capital framework
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode of Almond Byte, highlights from the February Global Update breaks down the America First Trade Policy memo, new tariffs on major U.S. trading partners, and what this could mean for the almond industry. With Canada and Mexico negotiating last-minute tariff postponements and China implementing targeted retaliatory measures, how will global almond trade be impacted? Plus, we bring you the latest updates on aflatoxin rejections in key export markets. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve on trade developments that could shape the future of U.S. agriculture.
Laura Morin is the director of marketing for North America and China at The Almond Board of California. She joined the Journey to talk about some of the latest marketing initiatives by the almond industry to boost the relevance, value and of course the demand for California almonds. Morin explains the partnership with Deon Sanders (AKA Coach Prime), some advances in almond marketing in China, and a recent partnership announced with Smoothie King.
“Where almonds once really stood out among the competition. Now we're just one in a sea of many. So, we have to try harder and harder to stand out and to get people to think about almonds and notice us in this highly competitive landscape.” - Laura Morin
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Laura Morin, the director of marketing for North America and China at the Almond Board of California
- Discover the new and innovative ways ABC is spreading the word about the many benefits of almonds
- Explore future endeavors ABC is pursuing in both domestic and international markets to expand the almond industry’s reach
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
What happens when one of the biggest names in sports takes over one of the biggest stages in marketing? In the January Marketing Bulletin, we dive into Coach Prime Deion Sanders' powerhouse presence at Radio Row ahead of the NFL championship game. Representing California almonds through the Own Your Prime campaign, Coach Prime isn’t just talking football — he’s sharing the recovery benefits linked to almonds with top-tier media outlets and lifestyle influencers. From ESPN to TikTok, hear how this dynamic partnership is leveraging influencer marketing and turning almonds into the ultimate game-day snack. Don’t miss this inside look at the big game buzz, as we unpack how authenticity, strategy and a star-studded spokesperson create marketing magic.
People from around the industry joined the Almond Journey Podcast at The Almond Conference 2024 and were asked to share what’s on top of their minds headed into 2025. In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from Craig Duerr, Mallvinder Kahal, Rob Kiss, Michelle Penney, Bobbie Williams, Mallorie Hayes, Scott Hermann, Kabir Tumber, Chris Chavez and Clarice Turner.
“ That's something that we, as processors and growers, everybody just wants it to stay balanced and healthy. So I'd say that's really what we're all looking for.” - Michelle Penney
In today’s episode:
- Highlight the hopes for the new year from around the industry
- Appreciate ten different perspectives of almond leaders
- Discover what’s on the mind of the industry, including grower economics, marketing opportunities, water and much more!
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we revisit some of the insights captured on this show over the past year. You'll hear highlights from Nav Athwal, Alicia Rockwell, Tim Jackson and Michael Kelley. These interviews highlight the vast array of almond-related topics covered monthly on the Almond Journey podcast. These year-end reflections cover topics ranging from business strategy, marketing, pest management, stewardship, hulling, and shelling.
“ We just need to keep doing what we do best, and that is promoting all the great forms and ways that people can enjoy almonds around the world.” - Alicia Rockwell
Episodes featured in today's reflection include:
- Episode 64: Farm Business Strategy With Nav Athwal
- Episode 61: Almond Stewardship with Alicia Rockwell
- Episode 57: Navel Orangeworm Damage with Michael Kelley
- Episode 56: Australian Almonds and the Carpophilus Beetle
Videos of the sessions from The Almond Conference 2024 will soon be posted here: www.almonds.com/conference
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from December's Global Update by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California details ABC's participation in the U.S. Ag Trade Mission to China, where ABC staff joined a large team of U.S. Ag Trade Associations at the China International Import Expo. ABC CEO Clarice Turner presented on California almonds during the US-China Agricultural Trade Forum, and the team engaged in media interviews and field visits with major companies like Starbucks China and PepsiCo. Additionally, we cover the USDA and FDA's joint Request for Information on food date labeling and provide an update on Alternaria mycotoxins for EU shipments. Tune in for all the latest insights.
UC Cooperative Extension Tree Crop Farm Advisor Franz Niederholzer joined the Journey to provide a practical overview of best practices for spray operations in an orchard. Trained as a soil scientist, Niederholzer started with Cooperative Extension over 20 years ago. Over the past few decades, he has developed and shared expertise on spray-related topics like coverage, drift, nozzle selection, technology, calibration, ground speed and more. He emphasizes that the best equipment and most expensive products will never be as effective if there are errors made in the application process.
“An effective job, an efficient job, and a safe job. All of those things have to come together for a successful spray application. Paying attention to your spray program is a big part of successful farming.” - Franz Niederholzer
In Today’s episode:
- Meet UC Cooperative Extension Tree Crop Farm Advisor Franz Niederholzer
- Understand the importance of protocols including focusing on the efficacy, safety and technique of the application
- Explore the many variables to be considered before and during an application
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Dan Lawson is a licensed Qualified Applicator and the Huller Manager at Treehouse California Almond. Lawson joined the Journey and shares about his job as a huller manager, what they’ve seen come in from the orchard these past couple of years, and how he keeps current in his continuing education efforts to stay up to date on best practices.
“Navel Orangeworm, and some of these other types of serious damage, seems like they can be spread out across the crop as a whole. This year, there were a few fields that had brown spot and they had it in very high percentages in the 20% plus range.” - Dan Lawson
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Huller Manager at Treehouse California Almonds and Qualified Applicator Dan Lawson
- Discover the continuing education Dan is required to complete in order to maintain his Qualified Applicators License
- Learn about his experience with the ABC Almond Learning Hub
ABC Update:
At this year's CAPCA Conference, The Almond Board of California unveiled this new Almond Learning Hub. ABC’s Taylor Hillman and Jenny Nicolau share about the learning hub, who it's for, and why people like Dan Lawson are finding so much value in it.
“This is a free online site for growers, pest control advisors, certified crop advisors, and really all other almond industry professionals. The new site really helps the Almond Board to extend how we serve the industry.” - Jenny Nicolau, Associate Director of the Industry Relations and Global Communications Team at the Almond Board of California
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from November's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of Californian dive into key international developments impacting the almond industry. Get updates from ABC’s recent EU meetings, where staff members engaged with European trade and regulatory bodies to address critical issues affecting almond exports. Hear about their efforts to maintain quality standards and smooth supply chains, including meetings in Italy to reinforce collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Health and build confidence in California almonds. Plus, this episode has the latest on post-election dynamics in the U.S. and explores how new EU labeling requirements, effective January 2025, will impact almond shipments.
As a kid growing up on her family's farm in San Joaquin County, Elisabeth Watkins won TV cooking competition Chopped Junior. Since that time, Watkins has dedicated herself to teaching others about agriculture through cooking. Today she continues to make regular media appearances, including recent appearances on several Sacramento TV station morning shows displaying almond-based recipes. In this episode, Watkins offers her perspective on how to communicate about agriculture to mainstream audiences.
“We need to get back into education. We need to get back into schools and be at the top of everyone's minds when it comes to their health and wellness.” - Elisabeth Watkins
In Today’s episode:
- Meet agriculture marketing consultant and former Top Chef Junior champion Elisabeth Watkins from Linden, California
- Discover how Watkins surprised her parents with pursuing a Top Chef Junior competition she would go on to win
- Explore the different avenues commodity groups can take to better expose various industries to new ingredients and recipes to increase overall crop consumption
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In October's Marketing Bulletin, we're diving into the Almond Board of California's (ABC) latest market expansion strategy: bringing California almonds to Mexican bakeries. Join us as we explore how ABC's recent tour of California's Central Valley hosted top Mexican chefs and bakers, offering an in-depth look at the potential of almonds as a key ingredient in Mexico’s booming bakery sector. Led by ABC's Becky Jeffers, this initiative is reshaping perceptions and driving demand for almonds in Mexico’s favorite sweet treats. Hear how cross-cultural exchanges and innovative recipes are sparking a delicious new chapter for almonds in Mexican pastries.
In this episode of the Almond Byte podcast, we dive into ABC’s debut at World Food India, where almonds took center stage in discussions on food processing and health-conscious consumers. Hear about the key insights shared by the Ministry of Food Processing and how ABC is leveraging new connections to expand almond innovation in India. Plus, we’ll cover the latest developments from the EU parliamentary elections and what they could mean for agriculture, as well as Japan’s Ministry of Health’s visit to California, which could lead to reduced inspections on almond imports. Tune in for the full scoop!
In this episode, Almond Board of California Directors Brandon Rebiero and Kelli Evans discuss the almond industry delegation that recently traveled to Washington, D.C. The trip was an opportunity to engage with key government and legislative offices, providing an update on almond industry issues. They also discussed market development and innovation activities, efforts to build demand, Board strategic priorities, and stewardship achievements.
“Being able to be there and to back the staff and their requests or in their educating of facts is really powerful.” - Kelli Evans
In Today’s episode:
00:00 Introduction to the Almond Journey Podcast
00:58 Meet Kelli Evans and Brandon Rebiero
02:33 Insights from the Washington DC Trip
05:55 The Importance of Grower Engagement
07:32 Brandon's Perspective on his Second DC Trip
18:21 The Impact of Data and Sustainability
25:29 Final Thoughts
Learn more about the Almond Board of California committees.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Kern County almond grower Bret Sill shares some of his experiences building the soil biology in his orchards through practices like integrating sheep into the orchard and planting cover crops. Sill also discusses his experiments with off-ground harvest and reflects on how this approach might fit into his overall system. Ultimately, Sill is looking to reach his productivity goals with minimal inputs while maximizing the value of every almond produced.
“The things I've been thinking about is: how do we add more value (by) trying some of the regenerative practices. I can only cut out so much cost, and if I'm not adding value to that product, then how are we going to survive?” - Bret Sill
In Today’s episode:
- Learn about almond producer Bret Sill of Sill Properties in Kern County
- Explore the process Sill Properties is taking to try new practices to reduce inputs and encourage soil biology
- Discover Sill’s approach to water management and recharging the groundwater in his area
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In September's Almond Byte podcast, we dive into the recent visit of a Chinese Nut Delegation to California's Central Valley, hosted by the Almond Board of California (ABC). Learn how this delegation of 25 Chinese importers explored the almond industry and why this group is a critical partner for trade relations. We also discuss ABC’s analysis of the Pre-Export Check (PEC) program amidst rising aflatoxin alerts in Europe, as well as new opportunities for U.S. ag products, especially nuts, in Morocco. Tune in for these key insights and more!
According to a report produced by a collaborative effort between UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension, the fungal pathogen red leaf blotch (RLB) was first detected in California almond orchards on the border of Merced and Madera counties in late May 2024. Previously known for its impact on almonds in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, RLB’s presence in California has understandably raised alarms. In this episode we are joined by UC ANR Associate Cooperative Extension Specialist, Dr. Florent Trouillas and Almond Board of California (ABC) Senior Specialist in Pest Management, Dr. Lauren Fann. Together they explore the latest on this disease, what impacts it may have on the almond industry and what growers can look for and do about its presence in California.
“I'm actually quite surprised by how widespread the disease is already in this first year. The disease is definitely here to stay in California, which unfortunately brings another challenge for the industry here.” - Dr. Florent Trouillas
In Today’s episode:
- Meet UC ANR’s Dr. Florent Trouillas and ABC’s Dr. Lauren Fann
- Explore the pathogenesis and symptoms of Red Leaf Blotch in California almonds and what growers can look out for
- Discover the threat of the disease and what is being done to mitigate its risk now that it's here
For more information, read this article from the Almond Board of California: “A New Threat to California Almonds: Red Leaf Blotch”
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In the August Marketing Bulletin, we dive into the exciting return of the Almond Board of California's "Own Your Prime" campaign, featuring NFL legend Deion Sanders for a second year. Tune in to hear how this partnership will expand its reach with fresh content, new media strategies, and why Coach Prime's genuine love for almonds makes this campaign a game-changer for the industry. Don't miss out on the details driving this successful collaboration and what it means for California almond growers.
Joseph Jackson grew up in his family’s farming operation in the Visalia area. Upon making the decision to downsize the family farming operation, Jackson took on an off-farm job as a Customer Success Director for Phytech. Jackson shares his perspective as someone who has implemented technology as a farmer, and someone who helps other farmers utilize technology.
“As ag tech in general, we have made some amazing products, but these products need to be more affordable. They need to be more accessible. This is a stage where you have to be able to show real value.” - Joseph Jackson
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Joseph Jackson who serves as both a farmer and Customer Success Director for California with Phytech
- Discover Jackson’s thought processes for analyzing and utilizing farm technology
- Learn about Joseph’s experience with the Almond Leadership Program and his involvement with the Strategic Ag Innovation Committee
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Listen to July's Marketing Bulletin as we dive into Keith Schneller's recent trip to Turkey, representing the Almond Board of California. Discover how this journey – spanning Istanbul to Antalya and Mersin – unveiled significant market opportunities for California almonds. Schneller's meetings with major almond processors, insights from the TUKSAID conference, and observations on the Turkish nut market's shift towards packaged products highlight the growth potential. Despite economic and regulatory challenges, Turkey's resilient market and modern infrastructure make it a promising destination for expanding almond consumption and processing.
Nav Athwal joined the Journey to share his perspective on growing a farming business amid tough economic conditions. Athwal is the president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures. After growing up on the family farm, he became a real estate and land use attorney and then a technology entrepreneur. Seven years ago, he returned to the family farm to help with operations and growth. In today’s episode, Athwal discusses how he’s navigating the economic headwinds almonds are currently facing, why he remains focused on the long-term outlook, and what he calls intelligent growth.
“There were two goals I had. One is, how do we bring more operational excellence, both at the field level, but also in the back office? And how do we grow intelligently to take advantage of economies of scale?” - Nav Athwal
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Nav Athwal, president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures
- Discover Athwal’s journey starting on the family farm, navigating outside of agriculture and then returning
- Explore Athwal’s smart growth philosophy and how they educate and include investors in their operations
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from July's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California begins with the ABC annual industry delegation's recent visit to Washington, DC, where almond growers and handlers engaged with key government and legislative offices.
In addition, learn about the Ag Export Finance/Insurance Webinar held on June 11. This webinar introduced various tools to manage export trade risk and trade credit insurance alternatives. The discussion also touched on the ongoing efforts to digitalize trade documentation, which could result in substantial cost savings. Lastly, July's Almond Byte includes the potential implications of the recent European Parliament election results.
Joe Palomino is a Clovis-based agronomist and Certified Crop Consultant (CCA) who works for Axiom Agriculture. His work focuses primarily on crop fertility and soil health, but he also does some irrigation consulting as well. On today’s episode, Palomino shares how he ended up in agronomy without an agricultural background, his thoughts on finding nutrient balance in the orchard, his experience in the Almond Leadership Program, and what has sparked such a passion in him for the agriculture industry.
“When we start talking about precision plant nutrition, it's keeping the plant in balance. I like to keep the nutrient bank full and in balance and not let the presence or lack of one nutrient inhibit the availability of another.” - Joe Palomino
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Joe Palomino, the Clovis-based agronomist and CCA
- Discover Palominos background and journey to becoming an agronomist
- Explore strategies for soil health, crop fertility, and irrigation needs
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
California almonds are taking the Indian market by storm with a new advertising campaign aimed at younger consumers. The Almond Board of California's innovative ads blend humor with health benefits, encouraging Indians to snack on almonds beyond their traditional morning routine. Hear about the market dynamics, ideas behind the new advertisements, and future marketing tactics and plans from ABC's India Marketing lead Sudarshan Masumdar.
Almond grower and Almond Board of California (ABC) Director Christine Gemperle joined the Journey again, this time to discuss groundwater recharge, crimping cover crops, and continuing her efforts to build soil health in her orchards. Gemperle also provides an update about her work on the almond board and the trip this past year to meet with growers around the state to introduce new CEO Clarice Turner.
“We could really turn around our groundwater situation by using ag lands.” - Christine Gemperle, commenting on practicing groundwater recharge where feasible.
In Today’s episode:
- Discover Christine Gemperle’s experiences with groundwater recharge
- Hear about why Gemperle decided to modify her own roller crimper to manage cover crops
- Understand more about what’s happening at the Board level at the Almond Board of California.
ABC Update:
Apply to receive up to $2,500 in cover crop seed from the Seeds for Bees program. ABC’s Taylor Hillman discusses the details with Stetcyn Maldonado of Project Apis m. Learn more about the program and apply on the Project Apis m website.
The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Discover how the Almond Board of California is helping to grow markets globally with key updates from recent trips by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. From insightful participation in the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council Congress to engaging discussions at the AgTC Annual Conference, the team continues to address opportunities and challenges alike. Learn about Maximum Residue Level discussions from the CCPR meeting in China and the strategic European market visits led by ABC's CEO Clarice Turner.
Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California and chief government affairs officer at Blue Diamond Growers, joined the Journey to share her perspective on stewardship and advocacy for the almond industry. Rockwell discusses lessons from her work at Blue Diamond and Save Mart Supermarkets, the critical role California Almond Stewardship Program (CASP) self-assessments have played in reputation management, how almonds are leading the way in terms of stewardship, and the importance of engagement and advocacy on behalf of the industry.
“The reason that this industry was able to protect its reputation and get out from under the water criticisms was because of those growers that in those early stages, went and did the CASP self-assessment.” - Alicia Rockwell
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California Board of Directors and the Chief Government Affairs Officer at Blue Diamond Growers
- Explore Rockwell’s journey from the urban bay area to becoming an advocate for both producers and consumers alike
- Discover the thoughtful approach the almond industry has taken and continues to utilize to stay current with consumer trends and policy change
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In recent months, the ABC Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team has been helping to expand global markets by meeting with key players in India, Turkey and Pakistan, and creating opportunities for the industry through both market promotional proposals. Hear the details from the trips and efforts, and about an upcoming webinar to help exporters grow and secure their sales.
Tree planting is a tremendous investment. The details of how to plant an orchard properly can have a big impact on the bottom line. In today’s episode, Dr. Brent Holtz explains the reasons that he regularly receives calls from growers about their young trees dying. These problems led Holtz to work with the Almond Board of California to create a video in both English and Spanish to highlight the most important planting considerations for both farmers and farm laborers. Holtz has been a farm advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension for about 30 years. He serves as the orchard systems and pomology advisor for San Joaquin County. In addition to tree planting, Holtz discusses some of the latest updates in his many years of work in whole orchard recycling, and why he sees a need to add a tree pruning educational video in the future.
“Young tree death is probably one of the highest situations that I'm called out to as a farm advisor throughout my career. Talking to the almond board folks, that was a message that wasn't getting out and that's what led to the discussion that we need a video.” - Dr. Brent Holtz
In Today’s episode:
●Meet Dr. Brent Holtz, a farm advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension for about 30 years
●Explore the value offered in the new video highlighting the biggest concerns and issues related to tree planting
●Learn the latest nitrogen consideration if you are replanting trees after whole orchard recycling
The Spanish version of the tree planting video will be available later this year and both videos can be found on the Almond Board of California YouTube page under the California Almond Growers Education playlist.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Effective integrated pest management (IPM) programs for almond pests, especially for navel orangeworm, are not a one-size-fits-all situation and Thomas Martin says especially during these challenging economic times. Martin, a chemist by training and a regional technical representative for Trécé, was a participant in the Almond Leadership Program last year and his project involved analyzing the return on investment (ROI) of various integrated pest management strategies. This project received a lot of interest at The Almond Conference and Martin has since developed a free online tool to calculate the ROI of various IPM practices for navel orangeworm. The website is easy to use and can be personalized to fit individual orchard situations.
“We've got some great research done by UC and USDA that shows the benefit of these IPM techniques, but all that research is done in terms of reduction of damage, not in terms of dollars and cents.” - Thomas Martin
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Thomas Martin, regional technical representative at Trécé and recent Almond Leadership Program graduate
- Understand the economic impact of integrated pest management practices
- Explore the process in developing this tool
Access the IPM Return on Investment Calculator at NOWcalc.com
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Coach Prime and the Almond Board of California joined forces around the big game earlier this year, further extending their game-changing campaign. Dive into the behind-the-scenes action and unprecedented success of the 'Own Your Prime' partnership, as ABC's Laura Morin reveals the remarkable impact on California almonds and beyond.
In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we return to The Almond Conference 2023 where we sat down with Almond Board of California Director of Nutrition Research Elena Hemler. Hemler joined the Almond Board over a year ago to work with the Nutrition Research Committee to lead efforts in expanding the body of knowledge about the health properties of almonds. She came to the industry from an academic nutrition research background and previously worked at the Harvard School of Public Health. The ongoing nutrition research that the industry is funding has been a major tailwind in growing global demand for almonds. Hemler shares the latest almond nutrition findings supporting exercise recovery, gut health, weight loss, heart health* and beyond.
“We have built a body of research that totals over 200 peer reviewed publications on almonds nutrition and health benefits. This is more than any other food that I know of. All of this research has really contributed to changing perceptions among consumers.” - Elena Hemler
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Almond Board of California Director of Nutrition Research Elena Hemler
- Discover the journey towards researching and verifying the many health benefits almonds can offer to consumers
- Review Hemler’s full 2023 Almond Board Conference presentation and catch up on anything you might have missed
- Learn more about the Nutrition Research Committee at the Almond Board by visiting their webpage
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
- Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Highlights from April's Global Update – from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC – include the details behind the suspension of tariffs on almonds going into the UK, the findings from ABC's look into a French decree that was requesting information on endocrine disruptors properties on imports, and the latest on China's facility registration process that had applications stalled for months.
The March edition of the Marketing Bulletin from the Almond Board of California features President and CEO Clarice Turner who details her takeaways from ABC's annual trip to India in February. Turner and ABC staff hosted an almond conference in India where conversations circle around market access and regulation, and then exhibited at the colossal Gulfood show to promote California almonds.
Michael Kelley, President and CEO of Central California Almond Growers Association joined the Journey to share the challenges with the 2023 crop, especially the major problems with navel orangeworm damage. We also discuss other factors that led to it being such a difficult year and what producers can watch out for in the future. Kelley first appeared on this podcast on episode 42.
“(NOW damage) has certainly made a dent into the carryover. Hopefully it gets the stocks-to-use ratio to a level that'll be conducive for the price of almonds to move up.” - Michael Kelley
In Today’s episode:
- Hear from Michael Kelley, President and CEO of Central California Almond Growers Association
- Explore the impact of navel orangeworms in 2023 and the many factors that contributed to that impact
- Learn about better communication and education efforts with growers to facilitate more effective pest management
- Read more about navel orangeworm management by visiting this Almond Board of California webpage
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
March's highlights from the Global Update, by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, include a recap of the annual India Tradeshow, ABC workshops at Gulfood that spurred almond interest from new markets, and the first exploratory trip to Pakistan for the Almond Board which revealed strong almond-related traditions in the region.
In February's Marketing Bulletin, here about the busy month of March set for the Trade Marketing and Stewardship group at the Almond Board of California. The team is set to attend three different types of conferences with three different types of attendees, all talking about the role almonds can play in food and recipe ingredients. Manager Charice Grace discusses the differences between the three events and the details behind the Tastemaker Trials competition that has been running this month.
At The Almond Conference 2023, Almond Board of Australia CEO Tim Jackson, and Senior Specialist of Pest Management at the Almond Board of California Lauren Fann joined the Journey. Jackson shared some of the similarities and differences between almond production in California and Australia and discussed the new pest to California almonds, Carpophilus truncatus which Australian producers have been battling for about a decade. Fann discusses the discovery of Carpophilus in California orchards, what we know about the pest and what the industry is doing to try to get ahead of it.
“From our point of view, a healthier Californian industry with a good price is a direct benefit to our industry. So we are certainly all ears about helping where we can.” - Tim Jackson
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Almond Board of Australia CEO Tim Jackson and Senior Specialist of Pest Management at the Almond Board of California Lauren Fann
- Discover the similarities and differences between American and Australian almond production and the different obstacles their producers experience
- Explore the research and efforts being made to manage the recent Carpophilus exposure in California
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode, we are joined by Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California. Turner shares about her listening tour with multiple stops throughout the state to hear from growers and to better understand their needs. She also discusses her previous experiences from farming to working for corporations like Pepsi and Starbucks. Finally, you’ll hear some of her ideas and areas of focus now that she has officially taken over for Richard Waycott.
“I'm a collaborator. I like to ask a lot of questions and I pride myself in being a good listener, especially when I'm the representative of a collective body. You have to really understand what everyone's needs are.” - Clarice Turner
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board
- Discover her professional background and the many benefits she brings to the roll of president and CEO
- Explore the future Turner sees in the almond industry, how driving demand is “job number one” and the efforts she will encourage to make that happen
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In January's Marketing Bulletin, learn how the Almond Board of California introduced a pioneering QR code initiative aiming to redefine consumer interaction with the almond industry. Placed in high-traffic areas, the billboard-sized QR Code emphasizes transparency and stewardship in almond cultivation. With already hundreds of scans in just a few months, it addresses consumer concerns about water usage, pollinators and waste.
This episode is taken from nine different interviews conducted during The Almond Conference last month. People from around the industry were asked to share what’s on top of their minds headed into 2024. You’ll hear highlights from Alicia Rockwell, Bret Sill, Nav Athwal, Joe Palomino, Christine Gemperle, Julie Adams, Ambassador Doug McKalip, Michael Kelly, Brent Holtz, and Joseph Jackson.
“I really would like to see pricing get stabilized as we come into this next year and do all that we can to continue to market. Our industry has been typically one of the best at marketing our product, and part of that reason is because it's so versatile.” - Alicia Rockwell
In today’s episode:
- Highlight the hopes for the new year from around the industry
- Appreciate nine different perspectives of almond leaders
- Discover new technology, new avenues for marketing and new hope for almond prices going forward
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from January's Global Update – from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California – include information on shipping delays and possible additional costs for cargo avoiding the Suez Canal, the new Great Britain-specific Pre-Export Check program has launched, and the latest update on China facility registrations for U.S. handlers.
In this episode, we celebrate the last twenty years of the Almond Board of California under the leadership of Richard Waycott. Waycott joined the Almond Board as President and CEO in 2002. He joined the Journey to reflect on the past couple of decades in almonds and share his hopes for where the industry goes in the future. We discussed the evolution of the almond industry, milestones and lessons learned along the way, and the transition over to incoming CEO Clarice Turner.
“I've thoroughly enjoyed the industry. I've enjoyed this position. I've enjoyed all the challenges that I've had, both personally and professionally. It's been a great ride as they say.” - Richard Waycott
In Today’s episode:
- Join Richard Waycott as he reflects on his decades of experience as the Almond Board of California president and CEO
- Explore the progress and growth the almond industry has achieved over the last twenty years
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Almond grower Jonnalee Dunn joins the Journey from Arbuckle, California. Dunn is the growth and development manager at Henderson Farms, which is a 52-person company that farms around 5,000 acres in Northern California. Dunn and her husband also own 120 acres of their own. In today’s episode, Dunn discusses why Henderson Farms prioritizes employee growth and development and how they carry out their company's core values every day.
“Our huller was significantly impacted by the freeze (in 2022), and that affects everybody. But we can still come to work trying new innovative ways of doing things. We can still come to work valuing each other.” - Jonnalee Dunn
In Today’s episode:
- Meet almond grower Jonnalee Dunn and explore the Henderson Farms' operation
- Discover the beginning of Henderson Farms and how it has expanded and grown over the years
- Explore Henderson Farms’ core values and how they continue to focus on them
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from December's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, include the international trade discussions that took place at The Almond Conference, an update on mold testing at Italian posts, and China has accepted ABC's application to include more almond hulls as animal feed. Listen now.
Almond grower and Almond Board of California Director Christine Gemperle discusses how she finds balance between conventional farming approaches and ecological processes. She also shares her early experiences with whole orchard recycling, new irrigation systems, cover crops and habitat for pollinators, including monarch butterflies.
Gemperle and her brother Erich started their almond operation in 1997, which includes 135 acres on two farms: one near Ceres and the other in the Newman area. The brother-sister partners are second generation central valley farmers.
“I don't know that people understand how much food security is dependent on California agriculture. It's so important globally that we be able to continue to farm.” - Christine Gemperle
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Christine Gemperle of Gemperle Orchards
- Discover how Gemperle has incorporated practices such as whole orchard recycling, cover crops and pollinator habitat into her operation
- Understand how new approaches and new irrigation technologies are making California farms more efficient and resilient
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
November's Marketing Bulleting from the Almond Board of California includes the details about the Building Global Demand for California Almonds marketing session at The Almond Conference 2023. Find out what will be covered and hear insights from ABC's Emily Fleischmann. Also, hear how Coach Prime and the 'Own Your Prime' campaign are popping up in stores and connecting with consumers.
Highlights from November's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC, include increased tariffs on almonds in the Turkey market, the efforts to stop a potential increase in Moroccan phosphate prices and the details on an extended trade delegation to China.
Raj Samran is chief operating officer of Hilltop Ranch, Inc. Taj Samran serves as vice president and handles grower relations for the company while also serving as CEO of Samran & Sons Farming. The Samrans share how their family got their start in growing almonds and how that led to also becoming hullers and processors. They also share what keeps them striving for growth despite challenging economic conditions.
“We really like it when an employee says, our company, or like this is our forklift. Because then it shows they care and that means they're happy working here.” - Raj Samran
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Raj and Taj Samran who own and operate Hilltop Ranch, Inc. and Samran & Sons Farming
- Discover how the Samran family got their start in almonds in California and how this led to becoming hullers and processors within the industry
- Explore their business approach and how they make sure their employees are taken care of
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
October's Marketing Bulletin from the Almond Board of California includes the launch of several tactics this crop year in the Indian market, leveraging the sport of cricket, traditional celebrations, and weddings.
Highlights from October's Global Update – produced by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California – include insights on increased import testing in the European Union (EU), the latest on Decree 248 and new facility registrations, and a recap of the EU's State of the Union address that downplayed the regions Farm to Fork strategies.
Dick Cunningham has a long history in the almond business as a grower and huller/sheller. Cunningham remains an active member of the Almond Alliance Board of Directors where he serves as chair of their political action committee. In this episode, Cunningham shares his journey, the ups and downs he has experienced over the years, the current challenges facing growers in 2023, and his outlook for the future.
“Farming is nothing but ups and downs. Just when you think things are good, things change, just like right now. Almonds have always been good to me and I think they'll be good in the future, but there's a lot of things to work on.” - Dick Cunningham
In Today’s episode:
- Dick Cunningham shares lessons and insights from over 50 years of working in the almond industry
- Discover Cunningham’s journey and history within the almond industry and what he has learned throughout that process
- Explore the impact Cunningham feels regulation has had on almond trade relations and regulations
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
September's Marketing bulletin from the Almond Board of California highlights recent efforts in India around Raksha Bandhan and details the 'Mother of All Snacks' campaign in Germany. The Germany campaign features almonds as a healthy snack rather than for just traditional baking uses.
Grower Dan Clendenin producer almonds in both Merced and Madera as part of a family partnership with his siblings. Growing up, the family grew fresh market vegetables, and they eventually planted almonds in the late 1970s. Clendenin shares his personal almond journey, his hands-on approach to orchard management and some of the innovative practices he has adopted over the years.
“Being outside is great, watching the blooms is great, watching it leaf when spring comes and new life. But as I said before, the best part is still when that check comes because you can't do the rest of it without the check.” - Dan Clendenin
In Today’s episode:
- Meet almond grower Dan Clendenin who farms in both Merced and Madera
- Explore Clendenin’s personal journey into farming almonds
- Discover Clendenin’s approach to financial and time management as well as new innovations he is using in his operation
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
September's Global Update highlights from the Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California. Today's Almond Byte covers the removal of retaliatory tariffs on almonds in India, an update on the the Pre-Export Check (PEC) modifications being made for the UK, regulatory and political updates affecting clarity in the European Union market, and a new contract is in place between western docks and their workers.
Bikram Hundal is the vice president of operations for Custom Almonds and Sequoia Nut Company. Hundal shares how technology is changing the game in almond processing with optical sorters, artificial intelligence, robotics and other advancements. This technology allows for potential opportunities for data to be shared between growers, hullers and processors to capture more value for everyone involved. An engineer by training, Hundal previously held positions with equipment manufacturer Massey Ferguson and the Fresno County Public Works Department before transitioning into the almond industry.
“If we really think about it, there's literally no waste that is out there in almonds. With other commodities, they have to say ‘oh we throw those away’ for instance with the hulls. But for almonds, we have a great use for every part of the almond throughout its whole life cycle.” - Bikram Hundal
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Bikram Hundal the vice president of operations for Custom Almonds and Sequoia Nut Company
- Discover Hundals journey into almonds and the new technology he is excited about expanding within the almond industry
- Explore some of the industry-wide improvements that are occurring as result of COVID challenges
ABC Update
A standardized system of almond grading helps to ensure confidence in the quality and consistency of almonds purchased for various uses. Just last week, the Almond Board of California released an instructive video that explains USDA grades and standards. Jenny Nicolau, senior manager of industry relations and communications at the Almond Board highlights this five-minute video that outlines the sampling and grading process.
Watch the video: “Understanding Almond USDA Grades and Standards”
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
August's Marketing Bulletin from the Almond Board of California.
A Partnership of Legends: California Almonds + Prime Time California Almonds are going Prime Time! The Almond Board of California (ABC) is launching a new one-of-a-kind partnership of legends with the one and only Coach Prime himself, Deion Sanders. Coach Prime is a legendary, multi-sport athlete turned coach and almonds are a legendary, multi-benefit packed snack with promising new research around exercise recovery. Both continually redefine what is possible.
In the biggest celebrity partnership ABC has taken part in, Deion Sanders will bring excitement and his iconic boldness to promote a groundbreaking research study around the exercise recovery benefits of almonds. The Own Your Prime campaign will give an inside look at what keeps Prime in his prime: consistency, hard work and recovering with almonds.
The Own Your Prime campaign will come to life in the US market, launching at the beginning of the NCAA football season with advertisements airing on national and cable TV on CBS, Fox, ESPN and CBS Sports. The fully integrated campaign will run for 9 months, including a robust advertising, digital, social and public relations program. The campaign will even include retail advertising in select California stores on grocery carts and in the snack nut aisle.
Representing approximately 30% of total almond shipments, the US continues to be the number one destination for California Almonds. Consumers have very positive perceptions of almonds, rating them as not only one of the healthiest nuts, but one of the healthiest snacks. Despite these positive perceptions, the US has been facing significant headwinds stemming from unprecedented macro forces that are impacting almond consumption, such as changes in how we eat coming out of COVID, evolving perspectives on health and wellness, food inflation and increased competitive pressures. The Own Your Prime campaign comes at a great time to reach a broad audience and help, in part, to offset these headwinds and by bringing excitement and new meaningful news to consumers.
The goal of the Own Your Prime campaign is to appeal to a broad US audience and break through the competitive clutter in a bold way. This campaign will showcase new nutrition research findings of almonds and provoke consumers to rethink almonds and the value they deliver. Coach Prime will help translate the exercise research findings to increased almond consumption by showing consumers how to own their prime. Learn more about the campaign at Almonds.com/OwnYourPrime.
Capitalizing on the Cricket World CupSeveral new almond marketing tactics for the India market will soon kick off as well, headlined by promotions around the ICC Cricket World Cup that will be back in India for the first time in 12 years.
The campaign is an opportunity to highlight the energy benefits of almonds as ads will run during the ICC Cricket World Cup in October and most of November, utilizing 10-second commercials that highlight those attributes of almonds. Tactics will also include billboards and bus shelters across the key markets of Delhi and Mumbai.
The ICC World Cup promotion also coincides with Diwali (Nov. 12), India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The event is a five-day-long festival of lights, joy, prosperity and happiness. It is a time of traditions during festival celebrations which includes the giving of food as gifts.
Highlights reviewing the crop season from August's Global Update, from the Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, in today's Almond Byte.
Chinese facility registrations A major challenge this year was implementation of China’s Decree 248 requiring food facilities exporting food to China to finalize online CIFER registrations by June 30, 2023. ABC took the lead in assisting FDA complete these registrations managed by China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC). It was often hit and miss – since Jan 2022, at least 50-60 containers of almonds worth more than $10 million were held up in China due to minor administrative issues related to GACC registrations.
Through persistence and collaboration with FDA and USDA, most of the containers were eventually released into China. By the end of June, 65 handlers had finalized their registrations with GACC (valid for the next 5 years). ABC is now working with FDA to develop a system to assist “new” companies to register with GACC.
Regulatory issues in Europe ABC continues to monitor Farm to Fork and Green Deal policies that will impact almond exports to European Union (EU). Several Farm to Fork policies are facing headwinds within Europe due to a variety of factors – the Pandemic, economic conditions and the impact of the ongoing war in the Ukraine on energy and food prices. ABC has worked with European partners to ensure industry concerns are shared with government officials.
Import inspections in the EU were another challenge this year due to inspection inconsistency and increased infestation detections resulting from large crops combined with logistical challenges. This past year, ABC worked with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to help clear around 10 stuck shipments due to lack of Pre-Export Check certification, incorrect interpretation of import control rules and other issues. ABC is continuing to monitor the situation and is providing input to the EU Commission regarding import control guidance which should help harmonize industry experience across member states.
Global Trade StrategyThis past year, a more comprehensive trade strategy was developed to guide ABC priorities. The plan was rolled out to committees and the Board of Directors and the strategy identifies potential tariff reductions and technical barriers, while leveraging industry partner associations to amplify almond priorities – a key element to finding solutions to technical barriers to trade as we expand exports into new horizon markets.
The Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC has engaged with several international delegations this year including a Vietnamese team of importers and processors, a Pakistani delegation at the Gulfood Show in Dubai, the Turkish Nut Trade Association, and most recently a Vice Minister’s delegation from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
In this episode we visit with Brandon Rebiero, co-founder and the head of farming at Gold Leaf Farming. Rebiero, who also serves on the board of directors for The Almond Board of California, discusses a recent trip to Washington, D.C. There, a small group of Almond Board directors and staff met with leaders, regulators and other key partners to discuss relevant issues impacting the almond industry.
“They're definitely getting our message and obviously it's a big ship and slow to turn, but I felt pretty confident that we're doing everything within our bandwidth to effect change.” - Brandon Rebiero
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Brandon Rebiero, co-founder and head of farming at Gold Leaf Farming and member of the Almond Board of California Board of Directors
- Learn about a recent trip to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the almond industry and the impressions it left on Rebiero
- Discover what excites Rebiero most about the new Almond Board of California (ABC) CEO, Clarice Turner
ABC Update:
There is a lot of work happening year-round to deal with important regulatory issues that impact the almond industry. Almond Board of California Vice President of Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs (GTRA) Julie Adams shares more about the work her team does, the value of trips like the one highlighted in this episode and the significant outcomes that this work achieves.
“What we tend to do is try and form relationships, partnerships and really good networks to hear what's coming so we can be kind of an early warning system for the industry – to the extent of possibly heading things off before they become issues. I'd say that’s really the challenge for us.” - Julie Adams
Learn more about the work of the GTRA team and committee by listening to the monthly Almond Bytes and reading the Global Updates.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Lucas Schmidt, the vice president and chief operating officer of Grow West. And Almond Leadership Program graduate, joined the journey to reflect on some of the challenges in the industry over the past few years including supply chain disruptions, interest rate hikes and inflation. He said these recent experiences emphasize the need for planning, budgeting, and really knowing the people you rely on to do business.
“You've gotta be grounded with the day-to-day, but also be looking ahead to try to make sure your plans align to what's coming. The deeper you can get within your supply partners and business partners is so key.” - Lucas Schmidt
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Lucas Schmidt, the vice president and chief operating officer of Grow West
- Discover recent almond industry challenges and how the industry has needed to pivot its efforts to recover
- Learn about Schmidt’s experience with the Almond Leadership Program and the many benefits he found working through it
- Read Schmidt’s Growing Together Summer 2023blog about the importance of planning
To learn more about the Almond Leadership Program, please visit www.almonds.com/AlmondLeadershipProgram or contact Rebecca Bailey at rbailey@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from July's Global Update, from the Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, in today's Almond Byte.
ABC Visit to DC Coincides with India Tariff Reductions
The annual Almond Board of California (ABC) industry delegation visit to Washington DC coincided this year with the first State Visit of India’s Prime Minister Modi. During the week of June 19th, the delegation met with several U.S. government officials including Ambassador McKalip, the United States Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator, as well as with the United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti. Discussions have been held with U.S. officials for many months/years about the importance of the almond trade with India and the negative impacts of retaliatory tariffs. This has been compounded by the favorable trade agreement recently concluded between India and Australia which benefits Australian almonds exported to the Indian market.
On June 22nd, Indian and U.S. Government officials announced that retaliatory tariffs (Section 232) applied to imports of U.S. almonds into India will be removed within the next 90 days. The tariffs will be dropped to India’s bound rates of 35 rps/kg for inshell and 100 rps/kg for shelled almonds. While this is great news, we are still at a competitive disadvantage with Australia – whose duty rate is 50% lower. ABC staff will monitor India’s implementation date, and advise when it is published. For more info, please contact jadams@almondboard.com.
UK PEC Update
Great Britain (GB) is in the process of revising regulations that it retained from the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. This includes EU regulation 2015/949, which governs the Pre-Export Check (PEC) program that recognizes California almonds for a reduced inspection rate upon arrival in the EU. Following discussions between AMS, ABC, and UK authorities, UK authorities indicated they will continue to recognize PEC but will require changes to the existing EU PEC certificate. The UK indicated its flexibility in certificate format, allowing us to leverage existing PEC procedures and database information to generate a GB/UK-specific PEC certificate when product is shipped to the UK.
Once the new format has been agreed between all parties, there will be a six-month transition period where shippers can continue using the EU PEC certificate. Once ready, ABC will conduct informational training for all shippers in generating the new UK-specific PEC certificate. For more information, contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
Handlers Finalize China Facility Registrations
Around 65 almond processing facilities finalized their registrations with Chinese Customs (GACC) before the June 30 deadline. FDA provided great assistance in making sure that all handlers were able to upload and submit mandatory documents including last-minute, self-assessment checklists required by GACC to finalize the registrations. Handlers are advised to continue to monitor their accounts for final approvals from GACC. Registrations should be valid for the next 5 years. FDA also informed ABC that handlers will be required to keep their FDA biennial registrations and related Export Listing Module (ELM) information for China up to date. FDA will send out email reminders accordingly. For more information about your GACC account situation, please contact kschneller@almondboard.com.
In this episode, we meet four impressive members of the California Future Farmers of America (FFA) who were awarded scholarships this year by The Almond Board of California (ABC). Since 2016, ABC’s fundraising efforts have been led by the Almond Leadership Program who has helped to raise more than $250,000 through donations, an annual golf tournament, and a live and silent auction during The Almond Conference every year. In 2023, sixteen FFA members were awarded these scholarships, including the four you will hear from in today’s episode: Olivia Bruns, Brannan Elszy, Christina Moitozo and Heather Hodges.
“These scholarships are really allowing people to get their foot in the door and have the opportunity to get that higher learning and really bring back more value than what's being put into them into the actual industry.” - Brennan Elszy
In Today’s episode:
- Meet the 2023 ABC Scholarship Recipients including Olivia Bruns from Woodland, Brannan Elszy from Hanford, Christina Moitozo from Gustine and Heather Hodges from Kerman.
- Discover their backgrounds and what the future holds for these up-and-coming industry leaders
Almond industry members interested in partnering with the Almond Board in donating to the California FAA Foundation can visit calaged.org/AlmondLeadershipProgram to learn more or to make a donation. To learn more about the Almond Leadership Program, please visit Almonds.com/AlmondLeadershipProgram or contact Rebecca Bailey at rbailey@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
June's Marketing Bulletin from the Almond Board of California.
Almonds Take Over Mexico City
During the first two months of 2023 and around National Almond Day efforts, California almonds took to the streets of Mexico by driving two mobile billboard trucks, covered with almond advertising creative, to top locations in Mexico City. The billboard trucks visited nine shopping malls, 20 supermarkets and 15 gyms. And at each stop, ABC hosted interactive events like snack workshops, giveaways, and yoga and meditation classes.
ABC partnered with popular influencers for the special events – which included podcast host Romina Sacre, Lifestyle and foodie influencer Soulfood Luz Colsa, and fitness trainer Ceci Aguilera. Colsa held a snack workshop showing how to add almonds to cultural Mexican foods, Aquilera hosted a fitness boot camp and Sacre hosted a meditation workshop. Sacre also invited a select few lucky consumers to her podcast recording studio where she recorded an episode about almonds. Through the different activities and mobile advertising, the campaign reached over 360 million impressions in the Mexico market.
Almond Health Ads Running on Facebook and Instagram
During the month of July, the Almond Board will run ads featuring the positive gut health attributes associated with eating almonds. Ads will run on Facebook and Instagram encouraging consumers to learn more about this area of nutrition research funded by the Almond Board. Ads seek to reach people interested in health. They are people that express interest in topics such as specific diet trends (e.g., paleo, keto), nutrients, or visit health websites like WebMD, Eating Well, and more. The ads will run in the U.S., India, Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and South Korea.
LA Times Features Almonds as Climate Change “First Responders”
The Los Angeles Times, in partnership with the Almond Board of California, published an article and video that explores the growing trend of sustainable farming practices in modern agriculture, and how that helps with climate change. The article highlights two key approaches: precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture, as well as Mallvinder Kahal, a second-generation Madera-based almond farmer and his family. California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross is also featured in the article.
With the increasing frequency of drought and other extreme weather, something that ABC's target audiences and farmers are both experiencing, the article emphasizes the importance of collaboration among farmers to drive the adoption of sustainable practices. To amplify this partnership, the LA Times promoted the article and video through display banners on their website and Apple News as well as paid social media running across their extensive digital network. In addition, the partnership took over the LA Times homepage on Tuesday, June, 27. The combined outreach helped showcase how farmers are actively working towards a more resilient and environmentally conscious agricultural industry for a brighter future.
Tanya Gemperle-Goncalves of Gemperle Farms has taken a particular interest in finding ways to improve their almond operation over time. She joined the Journey to share some of her experiments including cover crops, compost, whole orchard recycling and more.
“There are these practices that we want to implement, and what I'm trying to figure out is where can I reduce the risk? Where can I reduce the amount of effort on our part and make it as practical on our farm and as efficient as possible?” - Tanya Gemperle-Goncalves
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Tanya Gemperle-Goncalves of Gemperle Farms
- Explore how Gemperle-Goncalves defines sustainability and the role it plays on their operation
- Discover the progression of implementing new technologies and practices at Gemperle Farms
ABC Update:
Many almond growers have navigated the challenges of adopting new practices such as cover crops and have added flowering cover crops and monarch habitat around their ranches. A few years ago, the US Fish and Wildlife Service made the decision that it is warranted for the monarch butterfly to be listed as an endangered species. While this hasn’t officially happened yet, the timeline for doing so is by the end of 2023.
An endangered listing for any pollinator creates concern for almond growers who have planted pollinator habitat in and around their orchards. Almond Board of California Chief Scientific Officer Josette Lewis talks about those concerns for growers and protections being put into place with Industry Communications Senior Specialist Taylor Hillman.
“We've seen a really great response in terms of the number of farmers who've registered as bee friendly farms who are putting in flowering cover crops and have worked with organizations like Monarch Joint Venture to specifically put in Monarch habitat around their ranches. And so for those growers, we wanna make sure that they are protected if the monarch is listed as an endangered species.” - Josette Lewis
For more information regarding butterfly habitats visit the growers tools page at the ABC website or email the field outreach team at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com with any questions.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
USTR Chief Ag Negotiator Visits CaliforniaAfter speaking at the recent Agri-Pulse Conference, ABC was able to arrange orchard visits for USTR Chief Ag Negotiator Doug McKalip. The almond and walnut orchards outside of Sacramento were the perfect venue to discuss the impact of tariffs and technical issues on the shipment of almonds. An important point that was highlighted was the fact that despite increases in shipments to several key markets, growers are operating at a considerable economic loss. Ambassador McKalip was keen to learn more about the impact on rural communities in the area, as well as the competitive situation with Australian and European production.
USTR is focusing on IPEF negotiations, which stands for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and involves India, Japan, South Korea, and the US. The U.S. is also in parallel discussions for a trade agreement with Kenya. ABC will be holding further discussions with USTR on specific market access issues during the industry delegation trip to DC taking place later this month.
Highlights from MRL Harmonization Workshop Several GTRA staff attended the annual MRL seminar put on by the California Specialty Crop Council that was held this year in San Diego. Participation included attendees from overseas, regulatory agency staff, chemical registrant companies, and commodity and trade associations. A big focus was on EU Farm-to-Fork policies, specifically, Sustainable Pesticide Use Directive, applying environmental factors to MRL settings, which contravene existing WTO norms, and applying Mirror Clauses to imported products.
There was a growing understanding among attendees that in addition to building alliances with EU businesses and trade groups, stakeholders who rely on exports to the EU must also liaise with each other and respective government agencies to counter the EU’s growing ambitions and attempts to influence policies in international fora such as CODEX and the WTO, as these would have a far-reaching impact on international food trade. For more information, please contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
Transportation/Labor Union UpdateDue to lower container freight volumes coming into the United States, some west coast ports have been dropping shifts and slowing productivity. Additionally, International l Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) has continued to undertake sporadic “job actions” as a leverage mechanism in the ongoing labor negotiations. Previously, these had been limited to actions at the Ports of LA/Long Beach, however, this tactic spilled over to Oakland in early June leading to a closure for a shift. Negotiations between the two sides have continued to drag on, with some progress being reported despite the occasional disturbances at the port. For more information, please contact bdensel@almondboard.com.
Michael Kelley is the president and CEO of the Central California Almond Growers Association. With four shellers in two locations, the association is the largest huller/sheller of almonds in the world. Kelley shares several insights about the current state of the industry, including economics, logistics, technology, supply chain, and drivers of past, present and future success.
“We're on track to have the largest return we've ever had to our members at a time that they really need it; so, it's a really nice way to celebrate the 60th anniversary.” - Michael Kelley
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Michael Kelley, the president and CEO of the Central California Almond Growers Association
- Discover how Kelley’s experience in the cotton industry has helped him in his role in the almond industry
- Explore the current state of the almond industry from Kelley’s perspective and the new technology he has implemented on their operations
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
May's Marketing Bulletin from the Global Market Development and Reputation Management teams at the Almond Board of California.
Leveraging Nutrition Research The Almond Board is currently running ads on Facebook and Instagram encouraging consumers to learn more about the benefits of eating almonds before meals. Ads seek to reach people that express interest in topics such as specific diet trends (e.g., paleo, keto), nutrients, or visit health websites like WebMD, and more.
The ads just aren’t running in the U.S. but have been translated into local language and are running in seven other markets around the world. They will run through mid-May in an effort to support two new research studies that have been published in recent months and are featured in the press release Eating Almonds Before Meals Improved Blood Sugar Levels in Some People with Prediabetes.
A First-of-its-kind German Partnership The Almond Board of California has formed an editorial partnership with Brigitte, a popular German women’s lifestyle magazine, to educate Germans on how California almonds are grown sustainably and are nutritious. The partnership includes online and print articles, and videos emphasizing the industry's water and zero-waste practices.
In the messaging, almond grower Christine Gemperle discusses how almond farmers use water efficiently, reducing water consumption per pound of almonds by 33% between the 1990s and 2010s. The articles also cover the health attributes of almonds – which include 13 grams of unsaturated fat (only 1 gram of saturated fat) and 6 grams of protein pers serving – and include comments from German nutritionist Rebecca Kunz. The efforts are the first editorial partnership designed specifically for the German market.
Expo West and Award The Almond Board of California attended the Natural Products Expo West, the world’s largest natural, organic, and health products trade show, to keep up with the latest trends and innovations in the food industry. ABC staff prioritized interacting with companies that include almonds in their products as part of their ongoing effort to support food makers who incorporate almonds in their recipes. Sustainability was a dominant theme at the event, with companies supporting regenerative and organic agriculture, upcycling food, and utilizing sustainable packaging.
Consumers expect brands to be transparent about their sustainability initiatives, and companies are including consumers on the journey to make informed purchasing decisions that align with their values. The Expo West also focused on the slogan "real food and local communities," and how brands add value to the local community. The event highlighted the health and wellness of food products, and how consumers want to know how foods and specific ingredients can benefit their personal health. Also at the conference, The Almond Project, a multi-year, farmer-led project by Treehouse California Almonds, was honored with the Regeneration & Sustainability Award for their sustainability program. ABC Board Member Joe Gardiner accepted the award on behalf of Treehouse California Almonds.
Highlights from the May 2023 Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California.
Economic Impact Analysis of Retaliatory Tariffs on Exports of California AlmondsCalifornia almond exporters have been increasingly frustrated about favorable tariff conditions for Australian almonds while U.S almonds continue to suffer under retaliatory tariffs. Australia has a free trade agreement with China, reduced tariff treatment with India, and may soon have a zero tariff going into the E.U. Dr. Steinbach of UC Davis, using demand elasticity analysis, concluded that retaliatory tariffs cost the U.S. almond industry almost $875 million in exports or more than 325 million pounds of shipments between April 2018 and April 2022. He estimated that the withdrawal of retaliatory tariffs imposed by China, India, and Turkey could increase U.S. almond exports by about $175 million or 90 million pounds annually.
Recently, ABC analyzed trade data to determine the impacts of retaliatory tariffs in key markets combined with Australian trade advantages. Based on that analysis, it was determined that if US market share had stayed the same before the implementation of retaliatory tariffs in China, India, and Turkey in 2018, and Australia’s trade agreements with China and India, the value of US almond exports to those countries from 2018-2022 would have been higher by more than $550 million equating to an additional volume of 155 million pounds. This analysis will be summarized into a white paper that will be shared with policymakers for ABC’s annual trip to DC coming up in June. For more info, please contact Keith Schneller.
Transportation UpdateThe International Longshore and Warehouse Union negotiations continue with the two sides announcing a tentative agreement on a number of significant issues. However, there are still issues that will need to be resolved before a deal is signed. Additionally, dock workers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to undertake “job actions”, including those leading to a previous shutdown of the ports for a few shifts. There may also be separate negotiations underway with ILWU Local 13 (LA/LB) with the Local seeking to double the manning on container handling equipment. The uncertainty of the situation continues to cause consternation among importers as more and more shift operations to the East Coast. However, there is optimism that the sides are inching closer to a deal, and many of the imports are expected to return to West Coast ports.
The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved a new rule to phase out sales of diesel-powered medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2036. This is the first such combustion-truck sales ban in the world. Drayage vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) that are on the road now can continue to operate through their “useful life.” Those limits mean that when a drayage truck hits 800,000 miles, it can no longer be listed in the registry of drayage vehicles. The alternative is if it reaches 18 years after its model year, even if it has not reached 800,000 miles. The Advanced Clean Trucks rule aims to reduce California's GHG emissions by 40 percent and reduce petroleum use by 50 percent by 2030. Please contact Brock Densel.
China Facility Registration Update On April 14, FDA resumed managing the General Administration of Customs China’s (GACC) CIFER portal for U.S. facility registrations and has helped clear the CIFER queue of several handlers’ change requests. These were waiting for FDA review before moving them on to GACC for final review and approval. An estimated 15 of the 70 handlers initially approved by GACC at the end of December 2021 still need to upload mandatory documents in CIFER in order to finalize their accounts. Firms have until the end of June 2023 or risk being delisted. ABC continues to explore ways to help those “new” companies waiting to register their facilities so they can also export products to China. Be sure to confirm that any products being shipped to China are included under your facility’s GACC account. If not, the shipments will not be cleared without the inclusion of the specific product under your account which can take days or weeks to finalize.
Please note GACC sent out a notice recently warning facilities from registering on “fake” online portals. It seems there are many companies offering assistance to register, but the only official portal is cifer.singlewindow.cn. USDA’s most recent update on Decree 248 is here. For more info, please contact Keith Schneller.
Mackey Violich is part of the ownership team at Capay Farms, a 13,000-acre almond and walnut farming operation. As sustainability manager, Violich has explored a variety of innovative solutions like solar, cover crops, composting, carbon credits, electric equipment, whole orchard recycling and more.
“There's a lot of green washing out there. But if you have the data and the numbers to back it up, it makes it easier because it's the whole industry. If we all make a change it's gonna make a big impact, not only in our environment, but as a marketing tool.” - Mackey Violich
In Today’s episode:
- Meet almond grower and sustainability manager Mackey Violich
- Explore the many factors Violich takes into consideration as she approaches her job as sustainability manager for their 13,000 acre orchard operation
ABC Update:
The California Almond Stewardship Platform (CASP) is an important education and marketing tool for the almond industry to tell its stewardship story to consumers. Now over a decade old, CASP has gone through a major update to be even easier to use for growers and more effective for handlers. Almond Board Senior Manager of Field Outreach and Education Tom Devol sat down with Industry Communications Senior Specialist Taylor Hillman to discuss these changes.
“When CASP was first envisioned, it was predominantly an education tool. Over time, there's been a lot more pressure from the market. How are you growing your crops? Are you exhibiting good stewardship? Are you using current practices? So for the handler, they're the ones that get faced with those questions...By completing your grower self-assessment, you're assisting your handler and marketing your product.” - Tom Devol
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Almond grower Dennis Yotsuya has a small orchard in Cortez, California. Through winter sanitation and trapping, he has been able to avoid hull sprays for navel orangeworm in recent years. Yotsuya describes his approach, and the benefits has has seen in reducing damage from the pest.
“Even though I didn't spray much, what intrigued me was that once you put a trap out, it works all the time. Whereas the people that are spraying, you had to hit these certain windows of time to be effective. So I thought that was an interesting idea. I knew it was more advantageous to use a product like that.” - Dennis Yotsuya
Elonce Peterson created a trap that monitors and traps navel orangeworm females during first flight. The idea came while counting eggs as a field scout for Integral Ag. Peterson wanted an easier way to monitor navel orangeworm activity while providing more accurate and reliable data to growers.
In Today’s episode:
- Meet almond grower Dennis Yotsuya; and Elonce Peterson, creator of the female navel orangeworm trap
- Explore the experiences Yotsuya has had with managing navel orangeworm without having to spray
- Discover Peterson’s process in developing the female navel orangeworm trap and the advantages his system offers producers
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Third generation farmer Keith Yamamoto and his family farm a variety of crops including almonds in Westley, California. Diversification in crops, markets and approaches has been an important part of the Yamamoto family’s business strategy. Yamamoto joined the Journey to share how he found his role in the family operation and how he looks at risk management, growth, and value-added opportunities.
“My dad had a saying I remember from when I was a little kid, ‘You have to farm like you're going to farm forever, or you need to get out of farming.’ Because if you're trying to do things from a short-term perspective, well that's when you go downhill really fast. - Keith Yamamoto
In Today’s episode:
- Meet third generation farmer and almond producer Keith Yamamoto from Westley, California
- Explore how he found and cultivated his interest in the business of the farm and his perspective on expanding their operation
- Understand the priorities Keith and his family focus on to successfully farm their operation
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from the April 2023 Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California.
Decree 248 Update Food and Drug Agency has stopped managing China’s CIFER portal. China’s General Administration of Customs, also known as the GACC, uses the portal for U.S. facility registrations. This recent action creates great uncertainty for those companies waiting to finalize their GACC registrations or for “new” companies waiting to register their facilities so they can also export products to China. USDA, FDA and USTR are currently discussing next steps regarding Decree 248. Until the U.S. government decides which agency will take over the CIFER portal, be sure to confirm that the products being shipped to China are included under your facility’s GACC account. If not, GACC is refusing to add “new” products without approval from the US competent authority in the CIFER system. ABC is in touch with both FDA and USDA regarding this issue. 35 of 70 almond facilities have finalized their registrations. If you have not finalized your registration, please upload the mandatory documents and submit them on GACC’s cifer.singlewindow.cn portal for future review after the USG decides how to proceed in sending these “change requests” to China. For more info, please contact kschneller@almondboard.com.
Transportation and Logistics Update On March 24, over 100 agriculture and business groups including the Almond Alliance of California sent a letter to President Biden calling for intervention to resolve the protracted West Coast port labor negotiations between dockworkers and port facilities owners. In the letter the groups wrote, “It is imperative that the administration work with the parties to quickly reach a new agreement and ensure there is no disruption to port operations and cargo fluidity. Significant cargo flows have shifted away from the West Coast ports because of the uncertainty related to the labor negotiations.” The letter which was coordinated by the National Pork Producers Council, further requested the Biden Administration appoint a new administration point person given the departure of Marty Wash from the post of Secretary of Labor. The letter comes on the heels of “job actions” taken by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union which caused congestion of trucks trying to enter the Ports of LA/LB. Please contact Brock Densel for more info.
The Turkish Nut Association Coming to California ABC will be working with the California Walnut Commission to host a delegation of the Turkish Nut Association in June. Turkey is one of the countries we are looking at as part of a global trade strategy. The Turkish government lowered tariffs on imported almonds on Jan 1, 2018, from 43% down to 15%; Turkey then implemented retaliatory tariffs of 20% on US almonds after the US announced Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. In 2019, Turkey lowered the retaliatory tariff by 10%, and that remains today. The current applied tariff for US almonds in Turkey is 25%. ABC will be providing more information on the delegation visit as it is confirmed. For more information, please contact Keith Schneller.
A banker and CPA – who both also grow almonds – join the Journey to talk about farm finance and accounting. Ted Reimers is the vice president in the agribusiness group at American Ag Credit in Turlock and owns an orchard in Orland. Robert Holtermann farms near Wasco and is also a certified public accountant. Today’s episode highlights both their farming operations and how their perspectives as a banker and CPA have informed the decisions they’re making for their farm businesses.
“I grew up in it, but until you actually see how it flows through your checkbook and the struggles that you go through, it just helps you relate a lot better.” - Ted Reimers
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Ted Reimers, almond grower and vice president in the agribusiness group at American Ag Credit
- Meet Robert Holtermann, a certified CPA and almond producer near Wasco
- Discover how Reimers and Holtermann apply their knowledge of credit and accounting, respectively, to their farming operations
- Explore almond production from a financially focused perspective including lending, operations and the industry’s future
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from the March 2023 Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California.
ABC participation in the Gulfood Show ABC exhibited in the USA Pavilion at the Gulfood show in Dubai during the week of Feb 20. The USA Pavilion included 158 U.S. companies and associations including nine almond exporters. The show hosted over 5,000 exhibitors from 125 countries and was attended by over 2 million commercial visitors. Many of them expressed interest in almonds! It seems almond demand in the Middle East and across Africa is higher than ever. We had visitors from the beginning to end of the show waiting in line to ask us questions about the industry, particularly related to finding suppliers and technical information.
The entire region continues to grow, with California almond shipments to UAE increasing from $193 m in CY2020 to $310 m in CY2022. The FAS offices in Pakistan and Turkey sent delegations by our booth to discuss the market, market access issues and future cooperation opportunities. Other visitors included buyers and processors from Russia, Ukraine, Algeria, Cyprus, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, etc. A logistics company from Dubai’s Al Ras wholesale market shared a google map link that shows how product moves from Dubai to Afghanistan and other ports in the area. Check it out here.
FAS/Dubai also led a tour of the DMCC Tea and Coffee Processing Center at the local Port’s FTZ. DMCC is partially owned by the UAE government and has years of experience in trading/processing gold and diamonds. DMCC plans to expand its operations to provide services to other sectors, including tree nuts, in the future.
ABC – India Trade Conference During the week of February 14, the annual ABC trade conference was held in India. More than 240 importers and processors attended the meeting this year. Starting with a regulatory update, discussions focused on the greatest impediments to the market which were identified through a survey of Indian trade. Retaliatory tariffs and FSSAI regulation were among the key concerns. The need to form alliances and engage through Indian partners was highlighted as an important means of addressing concerns.
Considerable interest was expressed in the crop status, particularly insights from a California handler panel. While everyone is waiting to see how the California crop progresses, there was considerable optimism related to the long-term growth potential of the India market. This carried into the presentation of ABC marketing initiatives in India. Building on a strong tradition and culture, programs are expanding to encompass more health influencers. Other opportunities exist in ingredients, which are a growing sector for almonds, as well as expanding into rural India.
Great Britain PEC CertificateGreat Britain (GB) is in the process of reviewing/revising regulations that it retained from the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. This includes EU regulation 2015/1949, which governs the Pre-Export Check (PEC) program that recognizes California Almonds for a reduced inspection rate upon arrival in the EU. ABC has been made aware of a GB-specific version of the Pre-Export Check certificate to accompany California almond exports to Great Britain.
ABC contacted both UK Port Authority and FAS staff to ensure no shipments are detained pending an agreement between GB and USA. USDA has advised that UK authorities have agreed to accept the current PEC certificate while the situation is being reviewed. Optimally, UK import control authorities will agree to use the existing PEC system with slight modifications to satisfy GB requirements. We will update the industry once a final decision is agreed upon. If any handlers have their shipments impacted, please reach out immediately to Abhi Kulkarni at ABC.
Mohnish Seth is the president and owner of Farmers International. He and his wife Versha Seth joined the Journey to share their incredible story of migrating to California from India in the early 1990’s to find a new source for high quality almonds. Their experiences offer real insights into how India – which doesn’t have any domestic production of almonds – has become such a massive consumer.
“The way things are done in California especially, everything is counted, everything is accountable. The university system is there, the agriculture department is there, the Almond Board is there. We are so visible, and we are proud to share that information with the people.” - Mohnish Seth
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Mohnish and Versha Seth of Farmers International as they share their journey in growing the almond industry
- Explore how India has developed such an affinity for almonds
- Discover the major obstacles facing California almonds getting to more international markets
ABC Update:
India remains the top export market for California almonds. In fact, shipments to the country more than doubled in volume between 2016 and 2021. Almond Board of California Vice President of Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs Julie Adams says India remains a top priority for growing demand for California almonds, but there are still some real challenges to be addressed.
“We have to keep working with our partners across governments in trade to really look at the longer-term growth, and I think almonds are going to continue to be a big part of that growth.” - Julie Adams
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Third generation almond grower Eric Spycher farms alongside his brother, Curt, and their father near Balico, California. This past year, Spycher was one of a few growers approached by the Turlock Irrigation District to collaborate on a groundwater recharge project. Spycher joins the Journey to share the impressive results they’ve seen from this work, how the project got started, what made his 40-acre field a good fit for this, what reservations he had, and how everything has turned out so far. He also offers some ideas for the future that apply to both growers and irrigation districts throughout the state.
“The thing that surprised me is how much the local wells groundwater came up purely from my neighbor and I doing this sample along with the rain. I'm sure it was a portion of both the rain and our project, but I was really surprised at how much the groundwater came up.” - Eric Spycher
In Today’s episode:
- Meet third generation almond grower Eric Spycher who is working with the Turlock Irrigation District and Sustainable Conservation in an effort to recharge groundwater basins
- Explore the process, concerns and effects of banking groundwater
- Discover the potential for almond orchards to recharge groundwater resources
- Consider if groundwater recharge might be an option in your area in the future
ABC Update:
The Almond Board of California has developed an introductory guide to help inform growers who might be considering whether groundwater recharge could be an option for them. Almond Board principal analyst Jesse Roseman says the guide seeks to answer basic questions about whether groundwater recharge might be a fit for your orchard and to provide considerations about how the process might impact your operation.
Learn more by viewing the Introduction to Groundwater Recharge guide. Roseman said the resource is a great place to start learning about the practice before communicating with your local irrigation district.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Highlights from the February 2023 Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California.
Algeria Requires FumigationABC sent out a note to handlers on January 26 stating that Algeria does not require fumigation per USDA/APHIS. However, after further follow-up, it has been confirmed that a fumigation requirement implemented in late 2022 only allows Aluminum or Magnesium Phosphide fumigation of products intended for export to Algeria. The fumigation information must be included on the mandatory phytosanitary certificate. APHIS updated its online PCIT/PExD database accordingly on January 30. For more information, contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
Update on French and Spanish Environmental Packaging Measures In January, ABC received some disconcerting reports about France and Spain separately implementing new measures related to environmental packaging laws that still have not been fully implemented by the EU. Spain was the first to implement a new plastic tax (Spanish Law 7/2022) that went into effect on Jan 1, 2023 which levies a tax of 0.45 euro per kilogram on the proportion of non-recyclable plastic in the packaging material. Spain has not published any official guidance yet to assist stakeholders in compliance. We are advising industry members to work with their buyers in providing the requested information. It is our understanding that some buyers have provided templates, while others have requested a packing list on company letterhead or a declaration on invoices. Where claims about recycled plastic % have been made, you may be asked to provide a copy of the certificate from your packaging suppliers. But at this point, we are not aware of any specific requirements for how the information is to be provided. We will provide more guidance as soon as we receive it from the USDA office in Madrid.
The other issue is related to a proposed new environmental labeling scheme in France that will go into effect at the end of 2023. The purpose of the labeling is to “inform consumers about the environmental qualities and characteristics of waste-generating products”, and will mainly apply to textiles, electronics, toys, etc. While this labeling is not targeted at food products, it is unknown if this could change in the future.
Neither of these initiatives are part of the EU’s proposed Green Deal but were instead developed a few years earlier and are slowly being implemented in various EU member states. For more information, contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
India Trade Policy Forum Yields Some Results for PecansOn January 11, 2023, the U.S. and India held the 13th Ministerial-level meeting of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) in DC. A joint statement published after the meeting indicated many issues were discussed including remaining work on finalizing access for certain agricultural products of interest to both sides, increased dialogue on food and agricultural trade issues, reestablishment of GSP, and potential targeted tariff reductions. On February 2, Senator Jon Ossoff from Georgia issued a press release that India was cutting tariffs on imports of pecans from 100 percent to 30 percent. This was confirmed in the Indian Finance Ministry’s proposed annual budget, released on Feb. 1.
This is excellent news for U.S. and Mexican pecan growers but does not address the retaliatory tariffs on several U.S. agricultural commodities going to India. We are hopeful that further market access issues and tariff reductions in India will be addressed again in the near future, given the fact that California Almonds are the largest U.S. agricultural export to India.
In this episode, we revisit The Almond Conference 2022 with Almond Board President and CEO Richard Waycott to recap his message on the state of the almond industry. Waycott discusses grower profitability, water and biomass all while reflecting on his 20 years in the almond industry and his hope for what he has announced will be his final year leading The Almond Board of California.
“On the agricultural side, on the marketing side, on the regulatory side, there are just tremendous and innovative things going on.” - Richard Waycott
In Today’s episode:
- Reflect on the 2022 Almond Conference and the 2022 almond industry with Richard Waycott, Almond Board of California president and CEO
- Explore the opportunities, challenges and optimistic future of almonds with one of the industry’s leaders
- Learn about further innovation in almond production and by-product use
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we sit down with nine different almond industry leaders to hear about their hopes for 2023 and beyond. This group shares an acknowledgment of the current challenges, but also optimism for the future ahead for almonds.
Our guests include:
- Richard Waycott, Almond Board of California president and CEO
- Dick Cunningham, grower and Almond Alliance board member
- Monish Seth, president and owner of Farmers International in Chico
- Robert Holterman, fourth-generation almond grower
- Bikram Hundal, manager of Custom Almonds
- Jonnalee Dunn, almond grower and growth and development manager for Henderson Farms
- Keith Yamamoto, third-generation almond grower
- Ted Reimers, grower and vice president at American Ag Credit
- Brian Ezell, vice president of the almond division for Wonderful Almonds and Pistachios
“If anybody's gonna win, we're gonna win in this deal. Is it gonna be painful in the short term? Yes, it's already there. But I don't see how you have any choice but to be optimistic. Otherwise, people will just give up and I've never seen this industry being willing to give up.” - Brian Ezell
In Today’s episode:
- Reflect on the 2022 almond industry with some of the leading industry stakeholders
- Discover what is keeping people throughout the industry resilient and optimistic about the future ahead
- Hear nine different perspectives about the current state of the almond industry
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
January's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California in today's Almond Byte.
Ag Trade Leaders are Confirmed by SenateAfter being nominated for leadership positions by the Biden administration last spring, Alexis Taylor was confirmed by the US Senate as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs at USDA on Dec 21. In addition, Doug McKalip was confirmed as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Dec 22. Alexis Taylor was sworn in on Dec 29 at USDA.
The confirmations came after a flurry of political brokering at the end of a lame-duck session after several senators lifted their holds. Alexis has a good understanding of the issues facing almonds and other ag commodities, after having been in USDA for several years. ABC has already reached out with congratulations and will be organizing meetings as soon as possible.
Update on UK PEC CertificateIn late December 2022, ABC was made aware of Great Britain (GB) requiring a GB-specific version of PreExport Check (PEC) certificate to accompany California almond exports to Great Britain. ABC contacted both UK Port Authority and FAS staff in London to ensure no shipments would be detained pending an updated PEC certificate. Further, ABC also reminded the UK Port Authorities that PEC is not a condition of import. UK authorities have agreed to accept the current PEC certificate while the situation is being reviewed.
Currently, ABC is working with USDA/FAS and AMS to find an agreement with UK import control authorities to modify the existing PEC system to satisfy GB requirements. We will update the industry once the modified PEC is rolled out. If any handlers have their shipments impacted, please reach out immediately to akulkarni@almondboard.com.
Almond Hull Market Access Update for ChinaOn December 21, 2022, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) provided a written response to ABC’s application to include Almond Hulls in MARA’s official feed ingredients catalog. Inclusion in the catalog is required before firms can bring almond hulls into Chinese feed channels. The response came after the initial application was submitted in November 2021 along with several revisions made in 2022. MARA is requesting additional information needed to establish domestic standards for almond hulls in the feed catalog including parameters for NDF and mold counts among other details.
ABC staff will continue to work with our consultant in Beijing and colleagues at the Almond Alliance to make sure that the final “standards” to be published in MARA’s feed catalog are reasonable and least restrictive for US suppliers. For more information, please contact kschneller@almondboard.com.
Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) Entered into force on December 29, 2022According to a recent Australian government press release, ECTA has entered into force. It states that, “Over 85 percent of Australian goods exports by value to India are now tariff-free, rising to 90 percent in six years, and high tariffs have been reduced on some additional products. In addition, 96 percent of imports from India are now tariff-free, rising to 100 percent in four years.” For almonds, the new annual Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) allows 34,000 MT (about 75 million lbs) of inshell/shelled almonds to enter India at 50% of the current Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff levels. This more than covers current Australian shipments to India. Imports above the TRQ are at the full MFN rate:
Within TRQ: 17.5 Rps/kg inshell and 50 Rps/kg kernel.
Above TRQ: 35 Rps/kg inshell and 100 Rps/kg kernel
According to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, “To access a TRQ, exporters will need a TRQ certificate. Under ECTA, Australia will issue TRQ certificates to exporters or producers and share them with Indian Customs authorities. The importer in India will lodge a request letter, along with the reference for the certificate, to Indian Customs authorities. The authorities will in turn issue a No Objection Certificate to the Indian importer for each TRQ certificate received from Australia.”
India currently maintains retaliatory tariffs of 41 Rps/kg on U.S. inshell almonds and 120 Rps/kg on U.S. shelled almonds. ABC will be monitoring how the implementation of the TRQ impacts U.S. shipments.
This special episode was recorded in-person at The Almond Conference in early December 2022. Almond Achievement Award winner Brian Ezell shares his almond journey, the importance of volunteerism, and what he’s given and gained by serving the industry over the years.
Ezell is the vice president of the almond division for Wonderful Almonds and Pistachios. His primary role is to make sure that the company markets and sells their almonds every year to customers around the world. Ezell has served on numerous Almond Board committees over the past 20 years, including serving as chairman of the Global Market Development Committee (GMDC) for the past six years.
“I’ve gotten way more out of volunteering than I know I contributed, so when you get an award like this you feel very humbled because you feel like you’re the one that got all of the benefit.” - Brian Ezell
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Almond Achievement Award winner Brian Ezell, and discover his almond journey
- Hear why Ezell was surprised to be the recipient of the award
- Understand why Ezell is so committed to volunteerism in the almond industry
- Explore why Ezell is hopeful for the next generation of volunteers
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Bill Brush is a wealth of knowledge about soil and crop fertility. After years of farming and working in ag retail, Brush became fascinated by the world beneath the soil’s surface, and that led to him becoming a full-time independent consultant. In this episode, Brush discusses what can be done to continue to build structure, biology and water holding capacity over time.
“The three major components of science are physics, biology, and chemistry. It's like a three-legged stool. You have to have all three of those components to put together a successful fertility program.” - Bill Brush
In Today’s episode:
- Meet crop consultant Bill Brush
- Learn about Brush’s journey from a generational farmer to an independent crop consultant.
- Discover how Brush and his farmer clients manage soil physics, biology and chemistry to create successful fertility programs
ABC Update
For several years, the Almond Board of California has supported the Seeds for Bees program which provides free seed to growers who want to try cover crops for the first or second year. Almond Board of California Chief Scientific Officer Josette Lewis said the practice is proving beneficial for some growers, improving their soils, their pollinator health and their bottom line. Growers have already received their cover crop seed from Seeds for Bees for the 2022-2023 season and Lewis says the growth of the program speaks volumes about the value of cover crops.
“Our focus is on the role that cover crops can play in solving soil quality problems in the orchard. So that might be compaction, which impacts water infiltration… It also plays a role in pollinator health. The honeybees that every grower brings into the orchard are a pretty expensive part of growing almonds and research shows that having a blooming cover crop around the time of almond pollination can improve bee health.” - Josette Lewis
You can find more information about cover crops by downloading the Cover Crop Best Management Practices and by visiting the Almond Boards cover crop and forage web page.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode, pest control adviser (PCA) Robert Sylvester joins the journey. Sylvester has worked for Wilbur Ellis for over 12 years focused on almonds he grew up working in almond orchards with his father. While at Cal Poly, Sylvester interned with Wilbur Ellis which led to a full time position and a PCA license. This background has greatly influenced the way he approaches his almond producer clients.
“I work with the grower and I say, this is where I see the issues and this is where I think we can improve with this program or with this material I think we can do better. If I wouldn't do it for Dad, I'm not doing it for them.” - Robert Sylvester
In Today’s episode:
- Meet Robert Sylvester who has worked as a PCA in almond orchards for over 12 years
- Hear how pest management strategies have evolved over the years, and what issues he and his farmer customers dealt with this past season
- Discover how Sylvester and other PCAs work as critical team members for California almond growers
ABC Update
A few years ago, the Almond Board of California looked for opportunities to provide tangible tools that would help growers and PCAs. This led to a family of identification booklets with pictures and descriptions to reference throughout the year. Almond Board of California Senior Manager of Industry Relations and Communications Jenny Nicolau announces that there is a new tool that will be available for the first time ever next week at The Almond Conference – the Almond Disease and Nutrient Deficiency Identification Cards.
“It empowers the farm managers and the laborers in the orchard to really learn and really start to have a better idea of what they're seeing, like they're part of it when they can work with their PCA thanks to these identification booklets…I'm really excited about this. third ID set because it rounds out the family.” - Jenny Nicolau
Register now to attend The Almond Conference at www.almonds.com/conference.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Almond grower Jarred Greene didn’t always know he would end up pursuing farming as a career. In 2013, Greene took a summer internship with his current employer, San Juan Ranch, part of Nickel Family Farms. That led him on a journey from washing shop windows to irrigation scheduling to farm management. In this episode, Greene shares insights on where automation fits into an almond operation, especially in the areas oof irrigation and spraying.
“We have irrigators out there. We’re not trying to replace them. We’re trying to achieve more with less. So how can you keep that person but enable him to do a little bit more with his time than he was able to do five or ten years ago?” - Jarred Greene
In Today’s episode:
- Meet almond grower Jarred Greene and discover his journey to almond production in Firebaugh, California
- Explore the opportunities, benefits and perspectives of implementing automation in an almond orchard
- Learn about the increased efficiency and the many benefits Greene has found with irrigation and spraying automation
ABC Update
Almond Board Associate Director of Agricultural Research Sebastian Saa has assembled a group of researchers on behalf of the industry to coordinate a collaborative effort called Tree Crop Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration Experiment (T-REX). Along with this effort to give growers a clear picture of actual ET, the Almond Board is supporting research on yield prediction and estimation. The hope is that this can help to make sure growers are meeting the water needs of the tree efficiently and precisely.
“What our portfolio will focus on is to define when to irrigate, how much to irrigate, where to irrigate – and at the end of the day – how to irrigate…They are developing and enabling the technology to visualize how much our trees are actually transpiring at a high-resolution level.” - Sebastian Saa
Register now to attend The Almond Conference at www.almonds.com/conference.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
November's Global Update includes the latest on the European Union, engagement in the Indian market and new pesticide and trade strategy development.
EU Regulatory & Trade UpdateThe EU continues to grapple with the fallout from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in the form of delayed implementation of some of the Green Deal/Farm-to-Fork proposals and higher energy costs. ABC is monitoring proposals that may impact the export of California almonds to the EU. As part of stakeholder consultations, ABC has provided comments on the implications of applying EU environmental standards to imports without taking into consideration the differences in geographical, climatological, and consequently, pest pressures of different growing regions.
ABC also provided input to another stakeholder consultation on sustainable food systems, highlighting the work the California almond industry has already done related to water conservation and pollinator health. ABC is also monitoring the EU’s consideration of Front-of-Pack nutritional and sustainable labeling, as well as harmonized handling of rejected shipments.
Industry members are encouraged to attend the trade panel discussions during the upcoming Almond Conference in December 2022, where a representative from Prospero (our regulatory monitoring consultant in EU), will provide updates on EU regulatory issues. For more information, contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
Continued Engagement with FSSAI ABC staff recently met in Delhi with the Indian Food Safety and Standards authorities (FSSAI). The previous CEO recently moved into a new position; the Delhi meeting was an opportunity to introduce the Almond Board to the new CEO as well as to continue discussions with the Director of Imports. Unfortunately, a November visit to California by the two officials was postponed but is anticipated to be rescheduled to the first half of 2023. ABC plans to follow up on discussions with FSSAI and almond industry members in February, in conjunction with the annual India trade conference.
Clay Hamilton (USDA/FAS), who will be posted in India next summer and has been invited to participate in the trade panel session at the upcoming December Almond Conference. For more information, contact jadams@almondboard.com.
Pesticide, Trade Strategies being DevelopedTrade and regulatory challenges, including pesticides, have been priorities for the almond industry. Following on Board strategic priorities, ABC staff have been defining new strategies to better deal with complex regulatory issues at home and abroad. The trade strategies have included deeper dives into the tariff and technical barriers (such as complex facility registration or overly burdensome labeling requirements) impacting trade in both established and horizon markets, with the intent to better focus resources on opening new and expanding existing markets in the future.
One common theme is the impact of stricter pesticide requirements stemming from the EU’s efforts to restrict the use of chemical tools — in the EU and by elimination of import tolerances supported by international standard-setting bodies like Codex. Better definition of the actual barriers will enable ABC to work more effectively with USDA, USTR, and industry partners to resolve these barriers ultimately increasing future export opportunities.
The 50th Almond Conference will host over 3,500 attendees and 270 exhibitors this December in Sacramento. Jim Jasper, Ladd Hackler, Bob Curtis and Rebecca Bailey have each attended the annual event several times throughout the years. They share some of their experiences in this episode as we hear how far the event has come in the last half-decade.
“It's the super bowl of the almond industry. Once a guy does go, you're probably gonna see him the next year too because he did learn something. But you just gotta break that ice and get him to go once.” - Jim Jasper
In Today’s episode:
● Meet industry leaders Jim Jasper, Ladd Hackler and Bob Curtis, who have found great value in attending the yearly meeting
● Explore the evolution of The Almond Conference, the benefits it offers growers and the relationships it facilitates
● Discover the activities, events and opportunities participants will have access to
Register now to attend The Almond Conference at www.almonds.com/conference.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
EU Regulatory & Trade Update
The overall aflatoxin rejections for California almonds in Europe have trended down, from 32 in 2017-18 to 2 so far this year. However, the industry continues to face other challenges associated with aflatoxin rejections, namely, denial of goods returned to origin for rejected shipments in some EU countries such as Spain and Denmark. This is an issue ABC has been actively working with EU regulators to harmonize across all member states so shippers can opt to bring rejected shipments back if they choose to do so. The ongoing discussions on revising Articles 66 and 67 import control procedures promise to harmonize the handling of rejected goods across EU member states. ABC will keep the industry updated on any developments in this regard.
In other EU regulatory news, the implementation of some of the Farm-to-Fork-related regulatory proposals has slowed down, but not completely paused, as the EU grapples with the fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war. ABC has responded to stakeholder consultations and shared industry viewpoints on important issues such as the possibility of applying EU environmental and health regulations to imported products and creating a mutually acceptable sustainability framework.
ABC has received inquiries from industry members regarding European Commission Recommendation 553/2022 related to monitoring alternaria toxin levels in foods, including tenuazonic acid (TeA) for tree nuts. According to Dr. Jim Adaskaveg, Professor of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside, there is very low concern about Alternaria on almond-producing inoculum levels to reach detectable mycotoxin levels. Primarily, the almond tree may be affected with “Alternaria leaf spot” disease but there is rarely any evidence of hull infections. In general, the kernels are well protected by the shell and hull and spore contamination would have to be extremely high to detect mycotoxins. ABC has initiated testing of infected samples to generate baseline data.
ABC has invited our EU regulatory affairs consultant, Prospero, to provide updates on the current EU status in implementing its Green Deal strategies during an international trade panel at the Annual Conference coming up in December. For more information, contact akulkarni@almondboard.com.
USDA Tree Nut Annual Reports - Highlights for India and the EU
USDA recently published its annual Tree Nuts Reports for the EU and India. The EU imported more than $1.4 billion of almonds from the U.S. in MY 21/22 (93% market share) and only $82 million from Australia, its second-largest supplier. USDA forecasts predict that the EU’s two largest almond producers, Spain and Italy, will see significant decreases in production in MY 2022/23. For India, USDA forecasts a slight decrease in Indian almond imports to 148,000 metric tons (MT) for MY 2022/23. The U.S. is the largest almond supplier to India with 84% market share, followed by Australia at 8%. Domestic production is predicted to decrease by 4% to 4,000 MT.
USTR Chief Ag Negotiator On Hold
Last month we reported that Doug McKalip’s nomination for chief agricultural negotiator at USTR was moving along smoothly, but since then citing transparency concerns, a Democratic Senator placed a hold on his nomination. This hold may delay McKalip’s confirmation. However, Alexis Taylor’s Senate Ag confirmation hearing held on Sept 22 went very well. Ms.Taylor is the current Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture and was nominated to be the USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs. There is optimism that she will be confirmed soon after Congress returns after the November elections.
Daniel Bays is a sixth generation California farmer who also happens to be a former California State FFA Officer. In today’s episode, Bays shares about his farming operation, how the FFA has impacted his career and life, and why decades after wearing the blue jacket himself, he’s still passionately supporting the organization. We’ll also hear from Katie Otto of the California FFA Foundation, and Rebecca Bailey at the Almond Board of California (ABC). “The regulations that we deal with on a daily basis, that voting base needs to have an appreciation and understanding for what it takes to get food on the table. And I think programs like FFA are one of our best opportunities to help with that educational process. ” - Daniel Bays Daniel is one of many in the almond industry whose lives have been positively impacted by the California FFA Association. Once known as the Future Farmers of America, the youth leadership organization is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of high school students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Through ABC and the Almond Leadership Program, the almond industry is the largest source of annual donations to California FFA academic scholarships. In Today’s episode: Meet Daniel Bays, sixth generation farmer from Patterson, California. Explore Daniel’s journey from growing up on a farm to running the own operation Discover the value participating in the FFA provided him both expected and unexpected Celebrate the support the almond industry is able to provide to the California FFA Foundation
To get involved with the silent auction at The Almond Conference (TAC) that supports the FFA, contact Rebecca Bailey directly: rbailey@almondboard.com or fill out the form https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-conference/silent-auction (on the website).
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Updates on transportation and Logistics, a new USTR Chief Negotiator and China's Decree 248 challenges in this month's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC. Transportation/Logistics Update The number of container ships headed for the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — a traffic jam that once symbolized American consumer vigor during the pandemic — declined to the lowest level since the bottleneck started to build two years ago. According to data from the Marine Exchange of Southern California & Vessel Traffic Service Los Angeles and Long Beach, eight vessels were in the official queue at the end of August. That’s an all-time low, officials said in a statement, down from a record of 109 set in January and about 40 lined up a year ago. As a result, LA port officials want ships that diverted around the congestion to return. Long-term box freight rates continue to climb but are finally showing signs of coming under pressure. Data from the online platform Xeneta shows that long-term rates increased 4.1% in August, standing 121.2% higher than this time last year. Nevertheless, there are signs that new long-term contracted rates are actually starting to drop on key trading corridors. But given that they’re replacing expiring agreements with considerably lower rates, the average paid by all shippers is still climbing. The Almond Alliance has worked with carriers and railroads in order to expand service options to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. CMA/CGM has announced the opening of weekly services to India and Asia via Union Pacific rail from the Oakland Ramp to the Port of Los Angeles. MSC is currently adding the Oakland Ramp as an export option in their online booking system. Evergreen has confirmed core services available via Oakland Ramp to Los Angeles and working towards LB. OOCL will rail direct to ship from Oakland to LA & LB or by truck to LA & LB. Services currently include China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, and Vietnam. All of these services are now available both by booking direct or through SCTC contracts. For more information please contact the Almond Alliance staff@almondalliance.org or Brock Densel at ABC, bdensel@almondboard.com. USTR Chief Ag Negotiator Moving ForwardThe Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously to advance the nomination of Doug McKalip for chief agricultural negotiator at USTR. McKalip is currently serving as a senior advisor to the agriculture secretary and is a longtime agriculture department official. His confirmation hearing and following questions for the record had a major focus on market access in trade negotiations, particularly the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. McKalip pledged that he would push for market access, for IPEF’s trade pillar to be a core piece of the framework, and for trade to be “a much larger percentage of the results” than the other pillars. He now awaits a confirmation vote from the full Senate. Meanwhile, there has been no further movement on the nomination of Alexis Taylor for the Undersecretary for Trade position at USDA. Update on China’s Decree 248While most handlers were able to take advantage of the fast-track registration of their facilities and corresponding raw inshell and shelled almonds for shipment to China back in December 2021, China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) has become very slow in helping firms clear products that weren’t approved in the initial registrations. Please be advised that if you are shipping products that have not been approved under your GACC registration, you may experience long delays in clearing products stuck in Chinese ports even with assistance from US FDA and USDA offices in Beijing. If you need help confirming which products are already covered under your GACC account or need assistance registering additional products or with the initial registration of your facility with GACC, please contact...
Almond grower Patrick Abercrombie farms with his family in Kerman, California. In 2007, after about a decade of growing almonds, it became difficult for local hullers to keep up with the increase in deliveries. That paired with a year of untimely rains prompted the Abercrombie family to start stockpiling. “What's happened now with the almonds is we've gotten to the point where they cannot process the almonds as fast as we can deliver them so therefore we're all gonna have to start storing them on site so that we can then get them processed.” - Patrick Abercrombie Initially born out of necessity, Abercrombie has since become an authority on the technique of storing almonds. In this episode, he shares a variety of tips, lessons and advice for others who may find themselves in the situation of needing to stockpile. “Currently at the almond huller that we're at they give a 2 cent incentive…for every pound that we stockpile and basically the 2 cents covers the plastic and it does cover most of the labor to cover the piles and seal them.” - Patrick Abercrombie In Today’s episode: Meet Patrick Abercrombie, almond grower in Kerman California Explore Patrick’s journey and process for storing almonds onsite Discover the obstacles and lessons Patrick has learned during his 16 years of storing almonds in piles
ABC Update With the extra carryover in the crop this year, stockpiling can be a very practical way to extend almond storage if it’s managed properly. If not managed properly, growers risk product loss from mold growth or aflatoxin contamination, quality degradation or pest infestation. Almond Board associate director of food research and technology https://www.almonds.com/node/2994 (Guangwei Huang) says this means it’s absolutely critical that the industry get this right. To facilitate this the Almond Board has a https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/harvest/stockpiling-harvest (stockpiling guide) available to help producers. The updated guide includes 3 sections: the first is the fundamentals of moisture management and other impact factors, the second to answer questions on harvest timing and drying, and the third to address area preparation, how to make a stockpile, and proper stockpile monitoring and management. “This will require great effort and coordination from both growers and huller/shellers….the keys to success in stockpiling are very simple: control moisture and control infestation.” - Guangwei Huang
For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
While exports got off to a slow start at the beginning of the marketing year, record monthly shipments during the last quarter resulted in the second largest volume of exports on record, despite a multitude of ongoing challenges including logistical problems, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a strong dollar and ongoing, pandemic-related lockdowns in China. Trade has remained front and center! We continued to monitor global tariff and technical barriers, even though this Administration maintains its focus on climate, sustainability, and worker-related issues. In addition, we’ve been addressing a wide variety of market access issues in key markets (new and never-ending) including China’s Decree 248 and the EU’s drive to push their environmental and agricultural policies on trading partners via the proposed Green Deal and Farm to Fork mirror policies. The GTRA team has been working across global markets, leveraging partnerships and fact-based data to mitigate issues that could disrupt almond shipments. As we look to FY 22/23, we are also working to identify new markets and find ways to lower barriers to trade in order to boost almond exports in the future.
Almond grower and pest control adviser (PCA) Patrick Romero shares some of the issues he has been seeing with plant bugs in orchards, including leaffooted plant bugs and stink bugs. https://bluediamondgrowers.com/contact-grower-relations/ (Mel Machado), Blue Diamond Growers vice president of member relations, has been seeing this problem show up in brown spot damage. In some cases, the economic losses have been significant. “We actually had deliveries that were rendered as oil stock, and it was entirely because of brown spot as a result of plant bugs. You know oil stock means there's no value to that crop. Those loads were literally discarded….Thats a huge economic loss. It's a couple thousand dollars an acre.” - Mel Machado To remain proactive with brown spot, Mel says it’s important to be vigilant in your scouting and monitoring and work closely with your PCA. Patrick Romero advises growers on both row crops and tree crops throughout five counties in the San Joaquin Valley, and has 200 acres of almonds of his own that he considers his “weekend hobby”. Over the past 40 years, Patrick has seen acres of row crops turn to tree crops. The changing pest and disease landscape that comes with that change in crop focus sets the scene for the recent problems with plant bugs and brown spot. “When you have that kind of degree of acreage, you're also creating a climate or call it a predisposer for disease or pathogens that hit those crops. You're gonna have a problem with not only diseases, but insects. All of the insects will build up over time because you've got a lot of hosts…..Everything spreads across the board when you've got that many acres of tree crops.” - Patrick Romero There’s a lot of nuance here in the scouting, monitoring, and managing for pests like leaffooted plant bugs, stink bugs, and other plant bugs. Adding to the challenges is that options for tools to control these insects are gradually being phased out over time. “If you don't bring into the processor a clean crop, you tend to lose more money than the drop in the price. You're gonna get paid less per pound for your commodity because you didn't spend another hundred or two hundred dollars an acre trying to control an insect or a disease.” - Patrick Romero In Today’s episode: Meet Patrick Romero, an almond grower and independent PCA, and https://bluediamondgrowers.com/contact-grower-relations/ (Mel Machado), Blue Diamond Growers vice president of member relations Explore the ever-increasing threat of brown spot and pest pressure on almond orchards Learn about different measures that can be taken to monitor and mitigate pest levels and the obstacles producers face with added regulations
For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as...
Today we head east of Modesto to the town of Denair to visit with Brian Wahlbrink of Sperry Farms. Brian grows almonds with his brother-in-law, Wes Sperry, on their 5th generation farming operation. As many of you know, Brain is also the current https://www.almonds.com/about-us/meet-the-board (chairman) of the https://www.almonds.com/ (Almond Board of California) (ABC). Wahlbrink shares about the unique journey that led him to almonds, his long tenure on the global market development committee, keeping up with marketing a rapidly growing crop, and an exciting new partnership with https://www.marvel.com/ (Marvel) that positions almonds with the health and wellness journey of Thor in the recently released movie https://www.almonds.com/why-almonds/thorloveandthunder (Thor: Love and Thunder). “Thor is actually one of the larger characters in Marvel with a huge following. And he goes on a journey, kind of a health and wellness journey. So we just thought the fit was perfect with almonds.” - Brian Wahlbrink Check out https://www.instagram.com/b_wahly/?hl=en (Brian's Instagram) and the https://www.almonds.com/why-almonds/thorloveandthunder (website) to learn more about this partnership! In Today’s episode:
Get to know ABC Chairman Brian Wahlbrink and his journey to the almond industry Learn about the evolution of almond promotion programs over time Discover ABC’s new partnership with Marvel and why it’s a great fit for almonds Understand market development opportunities like the Marvel partnership, and what this means for the almond industry
ABC Update: Thor: Love and Thunder hit theaters on Friday, July 8th. Almonds had a rare opportunity to be a part of this event. Almond Board of California vice president of global market development Emily Fleischmann shares details of this unique strategic partnership and why this matters for the almond industry.
For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Transportation/Logistics Update ABC staff attended the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) annual conference in Tacoma that focused on ongoing transportation disruptions and touched on many aspects of the logistics crisis. Numerous discussions focused on how and when things may begin to improve; the consensus among those presenting was that things will continue to improve throughout the calendar year with something like a return to normalcy being realized in 2023. Carrier rates, however, are expected to continue to be significantly higher than their historical average. While things continue to improve, there was also much discussion regarding the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) which was recently signed into law. While formulation of exact regulations for carriers will be ongoing through the year, many of the law's provisions immediately went into effect, including those requiring carriers to provide justification for detention and demurrage fees, as well as the provision barring carriers from unreasonably declining cargo bookings. For more information, contact bdensel@almondboard.com. New Bill Proposes Port Priorities for Exports The American Port Access Privileges Act (H.R. 8243, introduced June 29 by Rep. Garamendi, D-Calif.) would build on OSRA by encouraging ocean carriers to ship U.S. exports to foreign markets. ABC will be evaluating the legislation and working with our partners at AgTC to ensure they have any information needed to assist almond exporters. According to information from Garamendi’s office, this bill would: reward ocean carriers that serve multiple ports in the U.S. or with significant cargo bookings of U.S. exports (i.e., those accounting for at least 51 percent of the vessel’s carrying capacity by weight or container volume) by moving those vessels to the front of the queue for unloading and loading; require export-carrying vessels seeking preferential berthing to report cargo bookings at least seven days in advance to port operators; authorize the Department of Transportation to collect data on berthing and cargo practices at U.S. ports to evaluate carriers’ practices for port calls and cargo bookings and the impact of preferential berthing; and codify current preferences for military, Jones Act, and other U.S.-flagged vessels in place at many major U.S. ports.
Update on China’s Decree 248 ABC staff continues to work with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in finding ways to finalize facility registrations initially fast-tracked by General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) back in December. It’s still not clear how FDA and GACC will sort out the review and approval of registrations submitted more recently including the addition of products that were not requested in the initial registrations. The United States Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) based in Guangzhou, China, held a webinar on July 6 featuring GACC experts on self-registration for those products that don’t require support from the competent authority. Although these facilities do not require assistance from FDA, much of the documentation required is the same such as production process flowcharts, signed enterprise statements, and the proposed “licensed production certificate (business license?)” requirement. ABC is working with FDA and USDA/China to address many of these outstanding issues. If you have questions about the registration process, please contact kschneller@almondboard.com.
Farmers Kyle Nichols and Rory Crowley discuss the benefits and tradeoffs of planting cover crops. They examine the economics and agronomics of cover crops, and what this means for water management. Crowley is also the habitat program director for https://www.projectapism.org/ (Project Apis m), running the https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html (Seeds for Bees )program. Seeds for Bees encourages growers to support honey bee habitat and soil health by planting cover crops. “Everything on the market seems to be more and more difficult so growers are having a really hard time. It's because of that, that Seeds for Bees is pushing out more free seed allocations this year.... We wanna really help in a tough time. We do believe here at Seeds for Bees and Project Apis M that cover crop is so important and even more so when we're having difficult times and especially difficult weather to plant in” - Rory Crowley “You can help keep that soil open and allow the drainage to happen, allow that water to get there and then leave. And that's what I've noticed, you know, as we implement cover crops... what it does is it brings that water over there and it disperses that water all across the entire row. And I call it kind of making a water bank. It's gonna hold all that water.” - Kyle Nichols In Today’s episode: Meet https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/demos/nicolaus-nut-rory-crowley.shtml (Rory Crowley), almond grower and the habitat program director for https://www.projectapism.org (Project Apis m), and Kyle Nichols, farm manager at Cinderlind Farms Explore the https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html (Seeds for Bees )program, the benefits it provides and the process for applying to participate Discover the compost technique Kyle Nichols has used on his operation along with cover crops to enhance the biological activity in the soils of his orchard
For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Transportation-Logistics Update The Almond Alliance, along with other agricultural export leaders, has met with significant ocean carriers such as CMA/CGM, OOCL, MAERSK, the Ports of LA, LB, and Oakland, and railroads - UP & BNSF, to find immediate solutions to current industry shipping logjams. Using ABC data, the Almond Alliance was able to show that there is the demand to warrant alternatives to shipping out of the Port of Oakland. As a result of these meetings, the Alliance was able to bring the parties together to offer a viable alternative. The new route would have shippers directly book with the ocean carrier OOCL for drop-off at the Oakland ramp. The product would be railed directly to LA/LB for final loading and shipment to various Asian markets (currently, service to India is not being offered). Concurrently, an additional rail service from the Central Valley directly to LA/LB is under development. More information on that rail service will be provided as details become available. Additional information will be released by the Almond Alliance. Visit their website here to stay up to date. Additionally, the gridlock surrounding the Ocean Shipping Reform Act in Congress is expected to be resolved in the next few weeks. The House is planning on taking up the version of the Bill passed by the Senate earlier this year. While this version does not include as strong of provisions that bar carriers from “unreasonably” declining export bookings, it includes stronger provisions related to reining in detention and demurrage fees. MRL Conference Highlights More Challenges for Ag Industry members attending the annual Minor Crops MRL Conference discussed challenges related to import tolerances, risk assessments and sustainable ag production. Increasing efforts to define “sustainable” food chains and acceptable processes and production methods will impact not only producers but also ag trade. It was highlighted that consumers generally do not appreciate the importance of chemical tools in mitigating food loss in the field resulting from insect pressures, drought, etc. – which impacts developing countries. Concern was expressed over the need for expedited approvals and reviews for chemical tools, to reduce the burden on industry and agency reviews. It was pointed out that about 14% of global noncompliance would “go away” if science-based Codex MRLs were followed. A presenter from Mexico raised awareness that there is a number of shifts in how pesticides are to be regulated within Mexico. Those shifts include a ban on imports of glyphosate thus precluding its use by Mexican growers, along with efforts to increase organic production and reduce pesticide use within Mexico. To date, it’s not clear if these changes will impact MRLs and thus imports, but if the outlined changes take effect, then Mexican growers will likely push for import MRL changes. Pakistan Bans Imports of Almonds On May 19, Pakistan announced a formal import ban on various products, including agricultural products, in an effort to lower its trade deficit and preserve foreign currency reserves. Imports of nearly all products under Chapter 08, including almonds and all other nuts, are banned. In 2021, the U.S. exported 2,714 MT of shelled almonds and 1,698 MT of in-shell almonds to Pakistan. More information can be found in a recent USDA GAIN report. ABC staff are following up with USDA/FAS offices in Pakistan and USTR.
https://www.almonds.com/node/1977 (Richard Waycott) is the president and CEO of the https://www.almonds.com (Almond Board of California) (ABC). Over the past 20 years he has seen almond production triple from one billion to three billion pounds. Recent travels to Spain, Portugal, India, and Duba have informed Richard’s perspective on the global supply and demand drivers impacting almonds. Richard shares some takeaways from these trips and how emerging trends will inform ABC’s strategies going forward. “I'm focused on the industry and the importers and the manufacturers, to make sure that they understand who we are, what we're doing, that we want to help them develop new products and innovation.” - Richard Waycott
In Today’s episode: https://www.almonds.com/node/1977 (Richard Waycott) is the president and CEO of the https://www.almonds.com (Almond Board of California). Explore the almond market on a global scale and the obstacles the market may be facing Discover the actions by the Almond Board of California to grow international demand and market share Learn about a new venture with Marvel and how this partnership will promote almond consumption
“The board of directors really works hard to make sure we're focused in the right areas and putting resources behind issues in the industry be they on the farm or globally where we can move the needle” - Richard Waycott
For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
On April 25, a group of agricultural stakeholders, led by the Almond Alliance of California (AAC), sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation and other Federal agencies requesting they convene a meeting between agricultural exporters and ocean carriers to address the current trade imbalance. Other signatories included California Farm Bureau; Western Growers Association; National Milk Producers Federation; U.S. Dairy Export Council; Western United Dairies; and the California Walnut Handlers Alliance. Working with the Alliance, the Almond Board contributed to the letter by developing data regarding the economic impacts of the present situation and the current state of the industry. On May 4, California Senators Feinstein and Padilla referencing the AAC-led effort, sent a letter, to 13 ocean carriers requesting they provide the necessary equipment for exports and for them to engage with the affected industries to develop a resolution to the export delays.
Kirk Pumphrey grows 160 acres of almonds on Westwind Farms in Yolo County. He has been on a seven-year journey to finetune his operation, especially in the areas of irrigation efficiency and distribution uniformity. “In ‘13 and ‘14 the market was down, and a piece of property became available. I got through the planning of the orchard probably moving, I would say a bit quick in not doing as much research as I probably should have…. I quickly learned and understood the deficiencies of those decisions and reached out for help. - Kirk Pumphrey Through this process he has developed close relationships with researchers at UC Davis, local resource conservation districts (RCDs) and others. Pumphrey has been driven to find the latest research and best practices that work for him on his farm. Not only is he collaborating with UC Davis on multiple research projects, but he has also worked with https://www.tehamacountyrcd.org/kevin-greer (Kevin Greer) at the Tehama County Resource Conservation District to run distribution uniformity tests, and has found a way to remove boron from his water and sell it as a fertilizer to areas that are deficient. Given the last few years of severe drought, Pumphrey has explored flowmeters and the impact they have had on his water efficiency. “We'll find at the beginning of the year, the output of that well is “x.” We've already noticed by the end of this month of April that we're in right now, a difference that our well output already has. Consequently, runtimes are a bit longer and I'm sure as we progress through the season, the same thing's going to happen, and the water volume will change. You can't use anything that's theoretical. You've got to base it on gallons.” - Kirk Pumphrey In Today’s episode: Meet Kirk Pumphrey, an almond grower on Westwind Farms in Yolo County. Explore the journey he has taken towards collaborating with researchers and RCDs to best use the resources he has available Discover Pumphrey’s use and recommendation of flowmeter sensors to increase his water efficiency Learn about his best practices in timing and application for pursuing grant money to help your operation be as efficient as possible without incurring extra expense
“The volume of water in the world is not going to change tomorrow. It's a closed system and we have a management problem of that water. And we, as a society, need to understand how we are going to manage this better.” - Kirk Pumphrey ABC Update There’s no easy year when it comes to farming in California, and as you just heard from Pumphrey, the journey to get it right doesn’t really have a final destination. Since 1973 the almond community has supported more than $89 million in research to improve farming practices. One of the many deliverables from this investment is a number of helpful research-backed resources that growers can access for free. Almond Board Senior Manager of Industry Relations and Communications https://www.almonds.com/about-us/meet-the-board (Jenny Nicolau) says a good place to start is http://almonds.com/growertools (almonds.com/growertools), where you’ll find a whole irrigation section with each tool listed separately and east to access. The page also contains educational videos from the irrigation station series that the Almond Board produced a few years ago. Growers can get more information about the tools and topics by accessing the https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management (“Orchard Management”) section of the “Almond Industry” tab and search by topic. For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in...
Australia and India ink new Trade AgreementIt has been in the works for a long time, but it appears Australia and India have finally concluded their Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAusECTA) on April 2, 2022. The agreement provides for competitive tariff elimination or reduction on a wide range of goods including Australian almonds. The aim is to enhance bilateral trade to $54 billion in the next five years which is currently at $27.5 billion. As soon as the Agreement is ratified by both parliaments, India has agreed to create a combined annual tariff rate quota up to 34,000 MTs for shelled and inshell Australian almonds. From the information available, it appears importers will be required to obtain import licenses to utilize the TRQ. The in-quota rate will be 50% of the current MFN rate which would equate to 17.5 rps/kg for inshell and 50 rps/kg for shelled almonds. Meantime, the U.S. duties, given retaliatory tariffs, remain at 41 rps/kg for inshell, and 120 rps/kg for kernels. This is only the second agreement that India has signed in the last 10 years. The last agreement India signed was with Japan in 2011 followed by the UAE and now Australia in 2022. The deal with India removes tariffs on more than 85% of Australian goods exported to India, worth US$9.4 billion, rising to almost 91% over 10 years. Tariffs will be eliminated on sheep meat, wool, copper, coal, alumina, fresh Australian rock lobster, and some critical minerals and non-ferrous metals to India. It will see 96 percent of Indian goods imports enter Australia duty-free. Australia is currently negotiating nine FTAs including bilateral agreements with three of its largest trading partners, China, Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, the United States is waiting to engage in talks related to the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
Transportation-Logistics Update The Senate unanimously approved the Ocean Shipping Reform Act in a vote last week. The bill’s support comes at a time of peak congressional concern over the resiliency of American supply chains, which has become an even more critical issue in light of the Ukraine/Russia conflict. The bill, which aims to ease maritime supply chain issues, “is designed to support the growth and development of U.S. exports and promote reciprocal trade in the common carriage of goods by water in the foreign commerce of the United States.” The bill now goes into a process to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions. Once the differences are worked out, the bill will need to pass both chambers a second time. Have logistics updates you want to share? Please contact: bdensel@almondboard.com The EU hits “Pause” on its Sustainable Food Strategy The war in Ukrane has “pressed the pause button” on the EU’s flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy, but the long-term ambition for the sector remains unchanged, according to the EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. Between skyrocketing food prices and shortages of key inputs such as fuel and fertilizer, the war has sent the EU agri-food sector reeling. “We’re working hard to address global food security and for food affordability in the EU, including finding alternative feed sources for the short term,” said EU Health Commissioner Kyriakide. EU Commission and European industry have been meeting frequently to identify those temporary measures and policy implications brought about by the war and disruption to food supply systems. Several short-to-medium term measures are being considered to minimize disruption, which includes allowing farmers to plant crops on marginal/set-aside lands, packaging label changes, etc.
https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/almond-leadership-program-alumni-spotlight-devin-clarke (Devin Clarke) has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to crop fertility, and is conducting some interesting trials at https://www.yara.us/crop-nutrition/incubator-farms/ (YARA’s Incubator Farm). The farm consists of 40 acres that they lease from an almond grower to compare various full season nutrition management strategies. In this episode, Devin discusses what they’re learning at the incubator farm, what’s going on with the volatile fertilizer market, and what insights he can share that might help growers get the most out of their fertilizer programs. “If you're able to generate a more consistent year over year net return by employing a strategy that is focused on crop demand and uptake, then it's going to put you in a better position long-term to be able to cover some of (your) fixed costs.” - Devin Clarke Devin began his career as a pest control advisor (PCA) with a local independent ag retailer. He soon found his biggest interest was on the agronomic side of the business, and was attracted to YARA’s focus on nature-positive solutions. Devin is also a graduate of the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-leadership-program (Almond Leadership Program) and the chair of the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/what-we-do/almond-board-committees (Almond Board’s Strategic Ag Innovation Committee). “We've been able to generate about 13% greater ROI net return on investment here with the My Almond Strategy compared to the baseline strategy over the last two years. So that represents about $752 an acre each year.” - Devin Clarke In Today’s episode: Meet https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/almond-leadership-program-alumni-spotlight-devin-clarke (Devin Clarke) YARA North America permanent crops manager Discover Devin’s journey to managing trials at the https://www.yara.us/crop-nutrition/incubator-farms/ (YARA Incubator Farm) and the many strategies they are testing to improve titrated nutrition to trees and increase yields for producers Explore what Devin means by “on demand feeding” for the trees and the impact this research can make on input needs and yield values Learn more about YARA’s efforts towards providing education and incentives for nitrogen use efficiency by visiting the https://www.yara.us/bettersoil/ (BetterSoil Alliance)
“You're working with this unknown element of the soil, and you're trying to figure out how to not only get materials applied in a way that is most accessible to the plant, but also going to provide the most value to the plant….it's a really rapidly growing space. And so that's where I've found a lot of interest in exploring that more and essentially turning that into a career.” - Devin Clarke ABC Update One of the trickier aspects to dialing in your fertilizer program is yield estimation. Almond Board of California associate director for agricultural research https://www.almonds.com/node/2989 (Sebastian Saa) says yield estimation is a critical variable in determining your crops nitrogen needs. Saa also is part of the https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep/ (CDFA’s Fertilizer Research and Education Program) where he reviews proposals in research and outreach in the areas of fertilizers. He says yield estimation, like any prediction, is not an exact science. It takes effort and often experience to do well. For more information about this or any of the topics we discuss on this podcast, reach out to the Almond Board’s Field Outreach Team directly at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you byhttps://www.almonds.com/ ( the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with...
https://www.almonds.com/about-us/meet-the-board (Darren Rigg) is a field buyer and sales representative for https://minturnnut.com/ (Minturn Nut Company) and a member of the Almond Board of California Board of Directors. Rigg, like other handlers in the industry, sees firsthand how transportation disruptions are impacting the almond supply chain. In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, Rigg talks about the current logistics, transportation, and shipping challenges that the industry is facing while trying to execute on the global demand for almonds. “I feel like it’s a death by a thousand cuts. It’s not any one thing that is causing it…. And anytime we feel like we get a little momentum, something occurs that takes us back down to square one.” - Darren Rigg Rigg grew up in Escalon and started his career in 2008 after graduating from Chico State. He joined https://minturnnut.com (Minturn Nut) in 2017 where he manages sales and procurement of almonds including managing call pools, buyer and seller accounts, and developing new business. “A big part of it is being that conduit to the grower and having that market discovery…. Understanding the nuances and the intricacies in every market and position Minturn and also our growers best into those markets so we can try to have success.” - Darren Rigg In Today’s episode: Meet https://www.almonds.com/about-us/meet-the-board (Darren Rigg), a field buyer and sales rep with https://minturnnut.com (Minturn Nut )and Board Member for the Almond Board of California. Discover what impacts handlers are experiencing from transportation disruptions Explore the global almond market and how the industry is getting through the challenges they are facing.
“It’s made us be a lot more in tune with who are logistics partners are…. If things get smoothed out, if anything, we should be more equipped…we should be able to get ourselves out of pickles a little more quickly the next time. We hope there will be some residual value from this, even though it has been miserable as hell.” -Darren Rigg ABC Update Around 70% of all California almonds are exported, and there are a number of factors causing backlogs and working against the handlers who are trying to get those almonds shipped. Almond Board of California Senior Analyst for Government Relations https://www.almonds.com/about-us/meet-the-board (Brock Densel) said to understand the economic impacts of these issues at the handler level, they conducted a handler survey. He said the survey results can be summed up in three categories: shipping costs, administrative costs and storage costs. Resources: ● https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/transportation-challenges-continue-cost-industry-multiple-ways ("Transportation Challenges Continue, Cost Industry in Multiple Ways") ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0T9PRE9k0 ("Training Tuesday Part Two - Transportation Survey and China Facility Registration") The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a...
In this episode we visit with almond grower and retired Air Force officer Alec Earle. Alec and his wife each spent over 30 years in the Air Force, first in active duty then civil service. In 2014, they bought 20 acres in partnership with his wife’s sister and her husband to form E&S Farms, LLC. Alec used the skills he had developed in the military to research extensively and organize his small orchard to operate at peak performance. He has fine-tuned his irrigation program and tapped into grants to buy equipment and improve his efficiencies. “I know the Almond Board has a place where they have links to these different websites and different services, but you really have to go out and do some research. There's help out there and there's money out there. If you go out and look for it.” - Alec Earle
In Today’s episode: Meet Alec Earle, an almond grower and retired Air Force officer Discover Alec’s introduction into agriculture and almond producing Explore the research and grants Alec found and utilized to build and expand his operation
“There's a lot of paths to success in farming. There's not one right answer, every farm and every location has its own challenges depending on where you happen to be. So you have to take all the information that you can find, whether it's from the almond board, whether it's from other farmers, whether it's from your PCA…. and make decisions that you feel are best.” - Alec Earle
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update Alec shared the benefits he found from soil moisture probes and pressure chambers for irrigation scheduling. Almond Board senior manager for field outreach and education https://www.almonds.com/node/2986 (Tom Devol )says there’s an even more basic problem many growers could pay more attention to: cleaning and maintenance of irrigation systems.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
This National Almond Day episode travels down to Shafter, California to chat with 4th generation California farmer https://www.instagram.com/almondgirljenny/ (Jenny Holtermann), who some of you might know from her online presence as https://www.almondgirl.com/ (Almond Girl Jenny). Holtermann grew up farming almonds in the Chico area, and now raising the fifth-generation family farmers with her husband in Kern County. In this episode Holterman details her journey into industry advocacy, the benefits of sharing your story, and the need for more people from the industry to connect and build trust with consumers. “The more we can share those daily, everyday little things, the better. Right now, the orchards are full of blooms. What a better time to share a little glimpse into what you get to see on a daily basis?” - Jenny Holtermann In today’s episode: ● Meet Jenny Holtermann, 4th generation California farmer, blogger and advocate for the agriculture industry. ● Learn why Jenny has made it a priority to engage publicly with anyone who has questions, concerns or misconceptions about the almond industry. ● Hear how she deals with negativity online. ● Discover how she has turned her online presence into a direct-to-consumer business. ● Find ways to get involved in industry leadership through the Almond Board of California, Farm Bureau, the Almond Alliance or other organizations. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In today’s episode, independent PCA and crop consultant, http://www.integralaginc.com/about-us-1.html (Justin Nay), shares advice and experience for your almond orchard’s integrated pest management program. Justin’s company, http://www.integralaginc.com/home.html (Integral Ag Incorporated) was formed in 2008. Before that Justin earned his Ph.D. in entomology from UC Riverside, where he worked with the carob moth, a cousin to the almond industry’s biggest pest: the navel orangeworm. Justin walks us through a year of pest management in almond orchards beginning with winter sanitation, followed by monitoring during the growing season and finishing with harvest sampling. He has so much knowledge to share as a scientist, business owner, and PCA with many years of almond experience. “We can come up with a population estimate as well as when that population is going to emerge in the field based on the size and the ages of the larvae…And that sets our baseline… Does the farmer have 20 navel orangeworm females per acre or does he have 200 and that's going to set what mitigation we're going to be dealing with for the rest of the season.” - Justin Nay In Today’s episode: Meet Justin Nay, independent PCA and crop consultant with http://www.integralaginc.com/home.html (Integral Ag Incorporated) Explore the different practices Justin employs to manage navel orangeworm and what producers can do to be most effective Discover the best times and sampling methods for monitoring population levels
“In doing (harvest sampling), we can determine not only how well we did with our program for the season, but we also get to see all the different types of damage that occur…So it allows us to really see firsthand how we did with our pest management for the season. It's probably the most important thing I think that we do.” - Justin Nay Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update Advancements in integrated pest management are really an important part of ensuring growers can grow almonds profitably while meeting the highest quality standards. Almond Board Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Josette Lewis says IPM is as much about cost effectiveness as it is about pest control.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In today’s episode we visit with https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-evers-55572511b/ (Carl Evers) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-olday-abb6a2166/ (Jeremy Olday) of https://agiscapital.com/ (AgIS Capital). AgIS Capital is an employee-owned management firm that invests in farmland on behalf of and alongside their investors. AgIS then oversees the management of those farm properties which are located nationwide with the majority being in California and the Pacific Northwest. Carl Evers is the director of sustainability at AgIS Capital, and Jeremy Olday is a farm manager for the company. The two discuss their efforts to make sustainability work in almond orchards on three levels: economically, environmentally, and socially. “Now it’s kind of hard to say no [to Whole Orchard Recycling] if it’s going to cost the same as burning, but you’ve got all of your environmental health benefits, plus probably some slow-release fertilizer that you’ve recovered and been able to put back into the ground.” - Carl Evers In today’s episode: Meet AgIS Capital Carl and Jeremy’s experiences getting started with cover crops and the https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees-for-the-grower.html (Seeds for Bees) program How they have approached https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/whole-orchard-recycling (Whole Orchard Recycling), how they are making it pay, and some lessons they have learned along the way Their involvement with https://www.leadingharvest.org/ (Leading Harvest)
“If you’re going to spend $20 or $30 to sort of fortify your bee habitat per acre when you’re spending $200+ per acre to rent bees every year, it’s just a hedge that makes sense.” - Carl Evers
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update At the end of an orchard’s productive life, almond growers must decide what to do with their old trees: either replant immediately or wait a year. Whole Orchard Recycling is an innovative and sustainable practice that contributes to the success of the subsequent orchard by not only putting everything grown in the previous orchard to optimal use, but also providing value back to the grower by delivering nutrients, improving soil quality and ultimately, potentially, increasing yields. There’s a cool story behind the development of whole orchard recycling, and Almond Board Senior Manager of Industry Relations and Communications Jenny Nicolau says there’s a new mini-documentary coming to share this story. Visit http://www.almonds.com/WOR (www.Almonds.com/WOR) to learn more.
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we visit with almond grower and https://hughsonnut.com/growers.html (Hughson Nut )Field Representative Donny Hicks. Donny manages a small 18-acre orchard, which helps him keep a grower’s perspective in everything he does. Donny shares how he’s offering up his acreage for experiments in areas such as fumigation, pruning, and subsurface irrigation. Then we talk about his role with Hughson Nut, and what he learns from the growers he works with day to day. “It's really nice to be able to farm and do what I'm doing because I'm going through the same thing that my growers are going through whether it be water issues or price. It really helps me to relate to my growers.” - Donny Hicks In Today’s episode: Meet Donny Hicks, almond grower and https://hughsonnut.com/growers.html (Hughson Nut )Field Representative Explore the different trials being performed on his farm and some of the preliminary results he has observed Discover the benefit Donny has as a producer and a field representative and how he brings that to his customers
“Farmers, we’re by nature optimistic people. Otherwise I don't think some of us would be doing it if we didn't think that there was something better down the road .” - Donny Hicks Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com ABC Update It’s the end of December, which is a great time to take a breath, spend time with family, and reflect on the past year. 2021 has been a challenge for many, but Almond Board chairman and co-owner of Sperry Farms Brian Wahlbrink echoes Donny’s optimism about the future ahead and delivers holiday greetings to the almond industry. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we visit with Kyle McClintock. Kyle is the vice president and general manager of http://sjfertilizer.com (San Joaquin Fertilizer). He is also an almond grower at IB Farming, his family’s farming operation. On the fertilizer side, they specialize in crop fertility recommendations and foliar nutrients as well as a couple of proprietary liquid soil amendments. Kyle is also a current participant in the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-leadership-program (Almond Leadership Program). Kyle shares a little bit about crop fertility in almonds, the current situation with fertilizer prices and what changes he’s seen in his 11 years in both the fertilizer and farming businesses. “I know what it's like to be on one side of the desk and try to come in and discuss with a grower what we can do to help them out and help their operation. And then I also know what it's like to be behind that desk as the farmer and make those decisions on what is best for myself and my operation and how we optimize things. So it gives me a pretty cool perspective about the whole thing.” - Kyle McClintock In Today’s episode: Meet Kyle McClintock, the vice president and general manager of http://sjfertilizer.com (San Joaquin Fertilizer) and also an almond grower at IB Farming Explore Kyle’s background and the scope of his operations as both a producer and fertilizer manager Discover the benefits and process of the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-leadership-program (Almond Leadership Program)
“In this industry, or anywhere, building relationships and networking is extremely important. You've got to expand your horizons and learn new things and meet new people. And so I figured, this is my opportunity and I should take it and run with it. So that's what we did.” - Kyle McClintock
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update You heard Kyle describe how he waited years before applying for the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-leadership-program (Almond Leadership Program), because initially he wasn’t sure if it was for him. Almond Board Senior manager of industry relations and communications Jenny Nicolau describes who the Almond Leadership Program is designed for. If you apply and are admitted into the one-year program, you’re in for a tremendous year of learning, meeting new people, and gaining access to new ideas that you can use for the benefit of your work and the industry overall.
Register now for the http://almonds.com/Conference (Almond Conference) December 7-9
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Today’s episode takes us to Bakersfield, California, where we talk to Bret Sill who you heard from on https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/episode-8-bret-sill-harvest-technology (episode 008). We’re revisiting Bret for a bit of a different story on today’s podcast, one that’s perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday that’s happening this week. We have the chance to share a great story of an almond grower impacting his community. In 2013, Bret felt led to be of service to the people of Bakersfield. He felt called to deliver fresh food directly from growers to people in need of quality food. Since that time, https://www.morningstarfresh.org (Morning Star Fresh Food Ministry) has grown tremendously and served thousands of people. “I knew how to buy, I knew how to pack and I knew how to distribute and just to take that for a food ministry and that we could do everything fresh, and with the growers that I knew and the connections that I had….. it was really just taking what I knew and say let's use it for something better and something for our community.” - Bret Sill In Today’s episode: Meet Bret Sill, founder of the nonprofit https://www.morningstarfresh.org (Morning Star Fresh Food Ministry) Explore the successes and good that Bret is able to share with his community Discover how producers and others can contribute to this worthy cause
“We want to give a hand up instead of a handout. And then that way they have some skin in the game and they want to contribute back to society.…..So that's what's really exciting to see, a person that was receiving a box and now they're doing so well that they're contributing back to the ministry. ” - Bret Sill
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update A few years ago the Almond Board created a video called “The Mummy Shake” which was a song about winter sanitation set to the music of the song “Monster Mash”. The popularity of https://youtu.be/mGsoV5ceFeo (“The Mummy Shake”) led to an annual competition of growers submitting videos of them dancing to the song. Senior manager of industry relations and communications Jenny Nicolau says the contest is back this year, but a little different from years past. The deadline for https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/almond-board-california-mummy-shake-contest (The Mummy Shake Holiday Song Competition) is Friday, December 17th.
Register now for the http://almonds.com/Conference (Almond Conference) December 7-9
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Today’s episode introduces us to George Goshgarian. George is an almond grower and also the chairman of the Almond Board of California’s Nutrition Research Committee. We unpack the important role nutrition research continues to play in growing the global consumption of almonds. George shares some of the successes and challenges of the past 15+ years that he has been involved with the committee. Through our discussion listeners will gain even more of an appreciation for how important this work is for all almond growers and handlers, and how much effort goes into this by people like George who volunteer their time to serve the industry. “To me that's the only reason this committee exists and should exist is to do research that will assist this industry in promoting sales in almonds.” - George Goshgarian In Today’s episode: Meet George Goshgarian, an almond grower and also the chairman of the Almond Board’s Nutrition Research Committee. Discover the scope, process and effectiveness of the Almond Board’s Nutrition Research Projects Explore what future projects and research efforts are in progress to encourage consumption of almonds
“My opinion has been that the work that we have accomplished in nutrition research has been one of the major reasons for the increased sales of almonds over the years.” - George Goshgarian
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update To bring in more perspectives on how the valuable work of the Almond Board’s Nutrition Research gets done, we talk to Dr. Swati Kalgaonkar. She has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Science and extensive nutrition clinical research experience. Her primary focus is oversight of ABC contracted nutrition research, public policy analysis and synthesis, and information dissemination in support of the almond industries global strategies.
Register now for the http://almonds.com/Conference (Almond Conference) December 7-9
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Today’s episode takes us to Maxwell, California, about halfway between Sacramento and Redding. We meet 4th generation farmer Leon Etchepare. Leon is a partner in Emerald Farms, which farms about 5,000 acres of almonds and walnuts. He has some great experiences to share about how he’s adopting mating disruption technology for navel orangeworm, and how he’s using soil probes and variable rate irrigation. “Just doing the math on the cost of chemicals and the cost of diesel and the cost of equipment and the increase of yield that I have because I'm not losing hardly any to navel orangeworm and it's a no brainer.” - Leon Etchepare In Today’s episode: Meet Leon Etchepare a partner in Emerald Farms and owner of https://wellnutfarms.com (Wellnut Farms) Learn about Leon’s experience with mating disruption technology and the return on investment he has seen from implementing this technology Discover how Leon is experimenting with variable rate irrigation on a block that is highly variable
“We need to do a better job as an industry in getting out there why we do what we do, our stories, the challenges we face so that when the voters are voting for certain people, those people think about farming because we're getting so far away from our food.” - Leon Etchepare
Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com
ABC Update Drew Wolter, pest management senior specialist at the Almond Board, shares how mating disruption can be a very important piece in an overall integrated pest management approach to navel orangeworm management. Research from the Almond Board of California has led to a number of resources for growers to learn more about this technology. See the link below for a video produced in collaboration with the University of California Cooperative Extension explaining mating disruption technologies. https://youtu.be/fHr9qmA5MDM (Mating Disruption Tools for Navel Orangeworm)
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we discuss the https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html (Seeds for Bees Program) with two growers who have taken advantage of this resource. If the Seeds for Bees Program is new to you, it’s designed to encourage the use of cover crops to increase bee forage in California orchards, while improving soil health. https://www.projectapism.org (Project Apis) administers the program to provide free or subsidized cover crop seed mixes and technical support to California growers, giving them the opportunity to try out cover crops at a reduced cost. If you’re listening and interested in participating, https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html (enrollment) is open until November 15th. We visit with Samantha Lopes, operations support manager for Farmland Management Services and Turlock almond grower Kris Melgard about their involvement in the program. Samantha and Kris will talk about why they wanted to try cover crops, what results they are seeing so far, what they’ve learned, and whether or not they might recommend the program to other almond growers. “I work with the farm managers. We're both in nature and part of it, we depend on it and it depends on us. And so I think our goal is to improve the long-term soil health and biodiversity through our practices. This is just a simple practice that allows us to do it.” - Samantha Lopes “You see all these flowers (in the cover crops) and then the trees are blooming at the same time. It makes everything worth it when everything comes together like that. So 100% worth it in my opinion.” - Kris Melgard In Today’s episode: Meet Samantha Lopes, operations support manager for Farmland Management Services and Turlock almond grower Kris Melgard Discover the https://www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html (Seeds for Bees Program) and learn about the advantages and support it offers Learn about the benefits cover crops offer to almond producers beyond supporting and encouraging the bee population
ABC Update Josette Lewis, chief scientific officer of the Almond Board of California, joins us to discuss the many programs offered to support bee friendly initiatives. Some companies are willing to pay premiums for https://www.pollinator.org/bff (Bee Friendly Farming) certified almonds. No matter what your motivations are, the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/press-room/almond-board-launches-bee-scholarship-promote-bee-friendly-farming (Bee+ scholarship) was created by the Almond Board to get the word out about these opportunities. Wondering if cover crops might work for your operation? The Almond Board of California’s new https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/cover-crops-and-forage (Cover Crop Best Management Practices) is a great place to start. Don’t forget to visit the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-conference (Almonds Conference Website) to get up to date information and to start planning your involvement. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from...
This episode takes us to Fresno where we visit with https://www.olamgroup.com (Olam Farms) senior director of agronomy, Zac Ellis. Zac is in his sixth season with Olam Farms, but he has been around almonds since he was a kid. He discusses the need to continue to push the envelope when it comes to water use efficiency, what that looks like for Olam Farms, and his experiences as a grower collaborator with a huge research effort called T-REX. The T-REX project is part of the https://www.almonds.com (Almond Board of California's) Irrigation Continuum of research projects, and it stands for Tree Crop Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration EXperiment. At its core, the project is trying to answer the basic but complicated question of how do we track how much water each tree needs efficiently and affordably using remote sensing? “Water use efficiency is the forefront of our concern and our need for innovation. So we're really focusing on that: how we can be more efficient with using the water sources that we currently have.” - Zac Ellis This multifaceted issue requires a cross-disciplinary research approach. Where an individual project may look at satellite imagery and water use or yield prediction in water use as examples, this project is bringing them all to the table. This is a major research effort to continue to be even more precise in water use efficiency. “The biggest value proposition in doing this type of collaboration is just the ability to bring different areas of expertise into the field and get different perspectives on very similar problems. And when we find that we're able to actually collaborate….. these different perspectives bring a whole new set of solutions.” - Zac Ellis In Today’s episode: Meet Zac Ellis, Senior Director of Agronomy at https://www.olamgroup.com (Olam Farms) Learn about the water scarcity Olam Farms is facing and the efforts they are making to mitigate its concern Explore the T-REX project and the water efficiency research it is exploring
ABC Update The focus of today’s episode is all about striving to unlock the next level of water use efficiency. But what should not be overlooked, says Tom Devol, is how much progress has already been made in this area. Tom is the senior manager for field outreach and education at the Almond Board. As initiatives such as the T-REX project are underway, there are also tools being developed that growers can use in the near term. Including a new slide rule calculator. These will be sent out in a mass mailing with the How We Grow publication, but if you want one ahead of that time, just send an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com and they will get one sent to you. Don’t forget to visit the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-conference (Almonds Conference Website) to get up to date information and to start planning your involvement. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market...
Today’s episode takes us outside of Turlock, California to the orchard of Cal Mast. Cal comes from a dairy background and purchased his 45-acre almond orchard in 2018. Over the past couple of years, Cal has spent hours researching the considerations for designing an almond orchard. He shares with us what changes he’s making, and where he finds information to make such important orchard planning decisions. “This is truly a long-term investment….I'm not planning to replant this thing again. I want to see what I can do to make this orchard outlive me.” - Cal Mast Being his first almond orchard, Cal considers himself a student of the process. He has enthusiastically spoken with neighbors, devoured materials from extension and other groups, attended meetings, and reached out to various industry leaders for advice. “I'm pleased with the contacts that I've made, the people I've gotten to know, and I've not even found all the stuff that's out there yet... I just appreciate the fact that there are people in this industry and in the allied industries...that are there to help you.” - Cal Mast= In Today’s episode: Meet Cal Mast, dairyman and almond farmer just outside of Turlock, California Learn about Cal’s introduction to farming almonds and the many considerations he has encountered when designing the planting of his orchard Discover the resources Cal took advantage of to make the best decisions for his operation
Find your Almond Board field outreach rep to access more available resources by sending an email to fieldoutreach@almondboard.com ABC Update In today’s ABC Update, Sebastian Saa, Almond Board of California associate director, joins us to discuss designing an orchard that reflects the latest in research and technology, and takes into consideration where the industry is headed in the coming decades. He distills many of these important considerations down into a six step approach: Whole orchard recycling Testing the soil Irrigation considerations Rootstock Selection Variety Selection Tree Density
The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode, we visit Kern County almond grower https://www.sillproperties.com/ourteam (Bret Sill) of https://www.sillproperties.com (Sill Properties) to talk about harvesting technology. Bret’s family has been farming in the Shafter area for nearly 100 years. Bret attributes some of their success to the fact that they embrace innovation and technology, which recently has meant new irrigation technology, autonomous sprayers, and low dust harvest equipment. “When we take it to the huller, we have a cleaner product for them to run. And now with freight being an issue and the hullers charging for freight, we can take advantage of this new, better efficient equipment that’s going to give us a cleaner product.” - Bret Sill Sill Properties continues to take advantage of the incentives available for low dust equipment from the http://valleyair.org/grants/low-dust-nut-harvester.htm (San Juaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District). “There’s so much technology out there. You’ve got to see what’s going to work for you and for your farm, because if not we’d go broke trying to use all of the technology that’s out there. It’s just deciphering what I think I can use that’s going to be good for me and for our farm.” - Bret Sill In Today’s episode: ● Meet Bret Sill, the ranch manager of https://www.sillproperties.com (Sill Properties) ● Learn about Sill Properties, its origin and Bret’s involvement in its management ● Discover the benefits Bret acquired from the https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-leadership-program (Almond Leadership Program) ● Explore the new equipment and technology they are implementing on their operation and the incentives to support these upgrades ABC Update In today’s ABC Update, Jesse Roseman, principal analyst for the Almond Board, joins us to discuss ongoing projects to improve air quality and dust management in orchards. Jesse shares the research projects of the Almond Board that cross over into this regulatory space and the incentives for producers that will help defray the cost of some of the low-dust equipment. ● https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/harvest/dust-reduction (Reducing Harvest Dust) ● https://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/2020-03/alm_2016_english_dust_technical_guide%5B1%5D.pdf (Harvest Dust Technical Guide) ● http://valleyair.org/grants/low-dust-nut-harvester.htm (Low-Dust Nut Harvester Replacement Program) The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Matt Angell introduces us to some of the climate-smart farming practices he is exploring and his approach to water conservation. Matt is a third-generation farmer and the managing partner for both Madera Pumps and US Water Well. As technology has evolved, Matt has experimented with ways to use data and sensors to become more efficient with water. Matt offers his principles of resource management with the “5 M’s”: map, monitor, measurement, management, and market. “I think this whole conversation is something that scares everybody significantly. So it's not something that people want to talk about. And when there's no conversation, there's no clarity. You know, people aren't solving problems. - Matt Angell As someone who runs both a pump company and a water well repair and restoration services company, Matt knows quite a bit about groundwater. He would like to see a more widespread conversation regarding groundwater overdraft. In Today’s episode: ● Meet Matt Angell, third generation farmer and water entrepreneur ● What climate-smart farming means on Matt’s operation ● How Matt has utilized the “5 M’s” to improve his water efficiency ● Matt’s idea for a “H.E.R.O.” grower that is rewarded for efficiency ● Why more conversation is needed about groundwater challenges ABC Update In today’s ABC Update, principal analyst Jesse Roseman joins us to talk about climate smart agriculture, and the new Cover Crop Best Management Practices guide produced by the Almond Board of California. ● https://live-almonds-next.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/2021-06/ABC_CoverCropBMP_8.5x11_vmags.pdf (Cover Crop Best Management Practices) ● https://www.almonds.com/tools-and-resources/grower-tools/incentive-opportunities (Grower Incentive Opportunities) ● Contact the field outreach team: fieldoutreach@almondboard.com. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we meet Luke Hicks of LH Farm Service, a custom harvesting and orchard sanitation company. Luke shares about harvest operations, how he built his business from scratch, what equipment he uses and why, and where he sees harvest operations going in the future. “For me, it's rewarding to get a guy's crop from the field to the processor. That's what makes me feel good and doing the best job we can. That's what I really enjoy about it.” - Luke Hicks Luke discusses his custom harvesting business and how he makes sure his crews harvest efficiently, safely and effectively. He offers insight about important issues like harvest efficiency, equipment, labor and serving farmer customers. Ultimately, customer support and best-handling of his clients’ trees have helped him select the best equipment for his business. “I take extra care. We're handling somebody else's crop. I know that their livelihood is in our hands, it’s the care of their trees. It's up to us.” - Luke Hicks ABC Update In today’s ABC Update, principal analyst Jesse Roseman discusses Harvest Best Management Practices (BMPs). He shares why these BMPs are important, how they add value to almond growers and where to access these resources. Get a copy of the Harvest Best Management Practices by contacting the field outreach team: fieldoutreach@almondboard.com. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (The Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we visit with Burford Ranch assistant manager Sal Parra, Jr. Sal grew up on the farm where he now lives and works alongside his father to manage 2,800 acres of almonds in western Fresno County. Especially in a year like this one, finding ways to continually get “more crop per drop” is a top priority. Over the years, Burford Ranch has transitioned from flood irrigation to microsprinklers and drip. While increasing their water use efficiency over the past few decades they’ve also been able to double their yields. The most recent step Sal took to improve his water use efficiency was to install dendrometers, devices that are mounted on the trees themselves to track water uptake by measuring changes in the trunk diameter. “With the dendrometers, it's literally real time. It's telling you a better story of what that tree is going through. I think for me, that was really convincing and I thought, Now this is a game changer.’” - Sal Parra Jr. Sal shares that through increased monitoring and irrigation technology he now “can water by need and fertilize by need” rather than assumptions and calendar month. This allows him to tailor his inputs to the “actual variety and actual tree” and therefore greatly increase his efficiency for this and future crops. “The trees were just healthier all year.” “I think what it really comes down to is that you're having good data to work off of that can help you make micro adjustments that over the long run give you savings. And so for us, that was huge, that was critical at a time where we really needed to go in that direction because of the pressure of not having the water.” - Sal Parra Jr. The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In this episode we visit with Joe Gardiner, sales manager at https://www.treehousealmonds.com/almond-butter/?gclid=CjwKCAjwj6SEBhAOEiwAvFRuKAT6LuapsD25-Ez0gl4ysNX2R_97Y8bJ25gMaDbWyVwCuoTzv8nQ9BoCYDMQAvD_BwE (Treehouse California Almonds,) and partner in Gardiner Farms and Pacific Ag Land Management. These experiences give Joe a full value chain perspective of the almond industry, and his passion for the future of the industry has brought new ideas and perspectives to the Almond Board. “I love this industry. I think there's a huge group of amazing people that all work their tails off trying to do things the right way. There's a lot of blue sky ahead, but it doesn't come without some turbulent air.” - Joe Gardiner The Gardiner family is a great example of the interconnectedness of the almond industry with ventures in beekeeping, processing, marketing and producing almonds. “We’re all definitely connected, heavily reliant on each other but out of each other’s way on a day to day business,” says Joe. “If we keep these farms healthy, keep a strong return back to the growers, keep them plugging along then the handlers are going to do well, the shipping companies are going to do well, the chemical companies will do well, and the bee companies will do well. It really comes back to that. Farm is the base of this industry. It's not the other way around. - Joe Gardiner The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (The Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
In the last two decades, pollination costs have increased dramatically for almond growers. On average now, about 15-20% of the total costs of producing almonds is just in pollination alone. This has been driven by supply and demand, but where will things go from here? We talk pollination with almond grower https://www.capayfarms.com/ (Dan Cummings) on today’s episode of the Almond Journey Podcast. Dan has managed thousands of acres and is a previous owner in a large honey bee industry. He is the https://bluediamondgrowers.com/leadership/ (chairman of the board of Blue Diamond Growers) and has also served on the board of directors for the https://www.almonds.com/ (Almond Board of California), an advisory board member for https://www.ec2ce.com/en/ (ec2ce) an agriculture predictive analytics company based in Spain and on the board of directors for a farming company based in Wheatland. Not to mention, Dan is also a 3rd generation almond grower and for him farming was always what he wanted to do with his life. “Beekeeping is tough. Being a successful beekeeper is really a tough job and requires a lot of skill and a lot of attention. I have the greatest admiration for beekeepers. I guess the only advice I'd offer is the better collaboration you can have between almond growers and beekeepers, the better the communication, the more successful both enterprises will be.” - Dan Cummings The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/2020-12/BeeBPMs_12212020.pdf (Honey Bee Best Management Practices For California Almond Growers) https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/pollination (Pollination Resources) https://www.almonds.com/about-us/press-room/almond-board-launches-bee-scholarship-promote-bee-friendly-farming (Bee+ Scholarship) to promote bee friendly farming practices https://www.pollinator.org/bff/bff-us (Bee Friendly Farming Program and Certification)
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
On today’s episode we visit with Dave Phippen of https://tapalmonds.com (Travaille & Phippen). Travaille & Phippen is a partnership that started with a family of almond growers and vertically integrated over time. As his father moved towards retirement from their almond and winegrape operation, Dave and his brother Scott took over. Spotting an opportunity in almond hulling, their cousin Bud Travaille joined Dave and Scott to form Travaille & Phippen. “As we hulled and shelled product for other growers, I learned that there were other growers that were actually doing a better job than I was, getting more production per acre. We quickly went to be introduced to those growers and learned what they're doing that we weren't doing. And we became better growers.” - Dave Phippen For Dave, his perspective of what’s possible really changed when he got involved with the leadership of the Almond Board. Dave shares more of the insights he has collected in his journey from grower to huller to sheller to processor. “The only impediment to moving more almonds into the global markets was the grower's ability and desire to fund the research and development of those markets. That changed my scope and my imagination to what the almond industry in California could really do because it places it back in grower hands.” - Dave Phippen The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.sustainablealmondgrowing.org (California Almond Sustainability Program) (CASP) https://www.almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/upcoming-events (Upcoming Almond Events and Meetings) Email to learn more about participating on a committee of the Almond Board
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Our featured topic for today’s episode, and a challenge many almond growers deal with: navel orangeworm. Kent Stenderup joins the show to talk about mating disruption for navel orangeworm, water, and so much more. Kent is a third generation farmer and has been an almond grower since 2006. Along with his experience with mating disruption techniques, he also shares the challenges he has faced with sourcing water in the face of droughts and getting started in almond farming. Kent has had a lot of success incorporating mating disruption into his integrated pest management program, and his experiences are definitely worth sharing. The integrated approach to managing navel orangeworm used by Kent and many others is a direct result of decades of research funded and supported by https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/crop-protection/navel-orangeworm (the Almond Board). “We spray one time less, and the grades are better in the mating disruption fields. It works. It really does. And it definitely covers the cost.” - Kent Stenderup To further our discussion, https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/almond-board-adds-pest-and-weed-expert-team (Drew Wolter), pest management senior specialist at the Almond Board, chimes in to share the research that is not only being applied to navel orangeworm, but to other pests as well. “The Almond Board has been funding navel orangeworm research, and has made great progress in terms of determining various production practices that growers can implement for navel orangeworm. Now this isn't just IPM practices that include mating disruption, but also cultural practices such as winter sanitation.” - Drew Wolter The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by https://www.almonds.com/ (the Almond Board of California). This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/user/AlmondBoardofCA (California Almonds Youtube Channel) Email address for pest ID cards https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard-management/crop-protection (Crop Protection Tips)
ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.
Welcome to the Almond Journey Podcast, brought to you by The Almond Board of California. On this show we explore how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Hearing the voices of these industry leaders might spark a connection or idea you can use in your own journey. That’s why we want to feature these stories of innovation, resilience, and community on this podcast. We hope you’ll come along for the ride by subscribing to this show on your podcast platform of choice, and pass it along to others in the industry, so we can all share in this almond journey together. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.