“We had an exceptional run of about 20 years, and the last four or five years have been really tough. Commodity cycles happen and so I think there's good times coming, but anyone who tries to predict agriculture usually gets humbled.” - Bob Silveira

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Bob Silveira, almond producer, partner in Vann Family Orchards and current board chair for the Almond Board of California
• Understand how the almond carryout is calculated and its significance
• Discover the regulations of gene edited almonds and the impact that has on global trading
• Listen to any of the recordings from the Almond Conference 2025 at the almonds.org website to learn 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.

“ Snacks have been growing for such a long time, and then within the last couple years, the entire snack category has been seeing declines. It's a very different phenomenon for what’s been happening in the US and I think it is impacting us.” - Laura Morin

In today’s episode:

1. Hear from ABC’s Laura Morin on current marketing efforts and strategy
2. Explore U.S. market headwinds and how almond marketing must adapt
3. Learn how campaigns are evolving beyond health to broader consumer appeal

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.

“ How are we feeling about 2026 for US almond exports? Firstly, I am feeling bullish. I think ABC has done an incredible job of diversification and cultivating, maintaining these relationships of working with everyone.” - Lindsay Tello

In Today’s episode:

1. Meet Krista Dickson, a partner at DTB AgriTrade based in Washington, D.C, and Linsday Tello, the new senior advisor for trade policy at The Almond Board of California.
2. Explore current trade policy and what we can look forward to for the almond industry in 2026
3. Discover how the Almond Board of California is working to expand trade 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.

“Our total acreage in California has come down in the last four years. We just finished an analysis on global supply… and that supply is coming down over the next five years by about a hundred million pounds. So, it looks like we're reaching equilibrium with supply.”- Clarice Turner

In Today’s episode:

1. Hear from Almond Board of California President and CEO Clarice Turner
2. Explore the current state of the Almond industry and what the Almond Board of California has in the works for the future
3. Learn more about future trade expectations and expanding opportunities
4. Discover new and innovative products to be developed from almond production

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.

“Can the self-fertile almond varieties benefit from the bee presence? And what we found was the benefit of having honeybees, even if they only have self-fertile varieties, is great. The yields are significantly increased.” - Dr. Elina Lastro Niño

In Today’s episode:

1. Meet Dr. Elina Lastro Niño, a professor of Cooperative Extension for apiculture at UC Davis
2. Explore the many ways Dr. Niño supports bee populations and producers alike with research, exploration of different pesticides and policy efforts
3. Find more information about best seeds for forage to support bee populations by visiting Seeds for Bees and Pollinator Partnership
4. Discover the threat of varroa mites and the virus they share with honeybees if not managed
5. Review honeybee presentations from the Almond Board of California Conference 2025

Learn more about Honey Bee Best Management Practices by visiting the Almond Board of California website.

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 Today’s episode:

1. Hear from nine industry leaders and discover their hopes for 2026
2. Consider themes like economic growth, expanding global markets, creating a more varied reach to consumers, and emerging new varieties coming to the market
3. Gain a sense of the current state of the almond industry from those that live it every day

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.

“I think maybe that's the big gap. Really connecting the farmer to the wholesale market to talk about the love and the story that goes into the almonds. I think that's the component that we haven't quite fully mined out yet.” - Mallvinder Kahal

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Mallvinder Kahal, an almond grower and founder of Atlas Almonds
• Discover Kahal’s journey in the almond industry and the unique perspective he has holding multiple roles within the supply chain
• Explore how almond market changes have impacted his operation and relationship with other 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.

“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. 

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. 

“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.

“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.

“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.

“ 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.

“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. 

“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.

“ 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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

“ 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.

“ 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.

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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“ 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.

“ 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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

“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 Palomino's 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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“(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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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 Cup

Several 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.

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 Strategy

This 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.

“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.

“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 2023 blog 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.

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.

“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, Brennan 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.

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.

“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.

After 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 Update

Due 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.

“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.

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.

Economic Impact Analysis of Retaliatory Tariffs on Exports of California Almonds

California 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 Update

The 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.

“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.

“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

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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 Certificate

Great 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.

“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.

“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.

Algeria Requires Fumigation

ABC 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 Pecans

On 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.

“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.

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.

Ag Trade Leaders are Confirmed by Senate

After 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 Certificate

In 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 China

On 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, 2022

According 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.

 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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

EU Regulatory & Trade Update

The 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 Developed

Trade 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.

“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.

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.

“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. I think programs like FFA are one of our best opportunities to help with that educational process.” - Daniel Bays

Bays 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 an 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 donate an item for the silent auction at The Almond Conference 2022 (TAC) that supports the FFA, fill out the form here.

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.

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 Forward

The 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 248

While 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 kschneller@almondboard.com.

“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 going to 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 well-versed 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. That basically covers the plastic and 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 Guangwei Huang says this means it’s absolutely critical that the industry get this right. To help facilitate this, the Almond Board has a 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 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.

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.

“We had deliveries that were rendered as oil stock, and it was entirely because of brown spot as a result of plant bugs. Oil stock means there is no value to that crop. Those loads were literally discarded…. That’s a huge economic loss. It is a couple thousand dollars an acre.” - Mel Machado

To remain proactive with brown spot, Machado says it’s important to be vigilant in your scouting and monitoring and work closely with your PCA. Romero advises growers on both row crops and tree crops throughout five counties in the San Joaquin Valley, and has 200 almond acres of his own that he considers his “weekend hobby”. Over the past 40 years, Romero has seen acres of row crops turn to tree crops. The changing pest and disease landscape that comes with that transition 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 are going to have a problem with not only diseases, but insects. 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 nuances in the scouting, monitoring, and managing of pests like leaffooted bugs, stink bugs and other plant bugs. Adding to the challenge is that tools to control these insects are gradually being phased out.

“If you don't bring the processor a clean crop, you tend to lose more money than the drop in the price. You're going to 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 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 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.

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 Marvel that positions almonds with the health and wellness journey of Thor in the recently released movie 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 Brian's Instagram and the 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. 

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.

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.

“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.... At Project Apis m., we believe that cover cropping is important and even more so when we're having difficult times and difficult weather to plant in” - Rory Crowley

In Today’s episode:

● Meet Rory Crowley, almond grower and the habitat program director for Project Apis m., and Kyle Nichols, farm manager at Cinderlind Farms

● Explore the 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

“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 as we implement cover crops... it brings that water over and it disperses that water across the entire row. I call it kind of making a water bank. It's going to hold all that water.” - Kyle Nichols

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 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.

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.

“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: 

• Richard Waycott is the president and CEO of the 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 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.

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.

“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 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 Jenny Nicolau says a good place to start is 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 “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 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.

It 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.

“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 Almond Leadership Program and the chair of the 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 Devin Clarke YARA North America permanent crops manager
• Discover Devin’s journey to managing trials at the 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 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 Sebastian Saa says yield estimation is a critical variable in determining your crops nitrogen needs. Saa also is part of the 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 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.

“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 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 Darren Rigg, a field buyer and sales rep with 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 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:

●    "Transportation Challenges Continue, Cost Industry in Multiple Ways"

●    "Training Tuesday Part Two - Transportation Survey and China Facility Registration"

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.

“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 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 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.

“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.

“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 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 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.

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 Seeds for Bees program
• How they have approached Whole Orchard Recycling, how they are making it pay, and some lessons they have learned along the way
• Their involvement with 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 www.Almonds.com/WOR to learn 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.

“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 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 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.

“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 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 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 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 Almond Conference December 7-9

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 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, 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 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 “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 The Mummy Shake Holiday Song Competition is Friday, December 17th. 

Register now for the Almond Conference December 7-9

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.

“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 Almond Conference December 7-9

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.

“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 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.

• Mating Disruption Tools for Navel Orangeworm

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.

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 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 Bee Friendly Farming certified almonds. No matter what your motivations are, the 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 Cover Crop Best Management Practices is a great place to start. 

Don’t forget to visit the Almonds Conference Website to get up to date information and to start planning your involvement.

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.

The T-REX project is part of the 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 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 Almonds Conference Website to get up to date information and to start planning your involvement.

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.

“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: 

1. Whole orchard recycling
2. Testing the soil
3. Irrigation considerations
4. Rootstock Selection
5. Variety Selection
6. Tree Density

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.

“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 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 Sill Properties

●     Learn about Sill Properties, its origin and Bret’s involvement in its management

●     Discover the benefits Bret acquired from the 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.

●     Reducing Harvest Dust

●     Harvest Dust Technical Guide

●     Low-Dust Nut Harvester Replacement Program

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.

“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.

●     Cover Crop Best Management Practices

●     Grower Incentive Opportunities

●     Contact the field outreach team: fieldoutreach@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.

“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 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.

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 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.

“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 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.

“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 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:

• California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP)
• 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.

“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, 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 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:

• California Almonds Youtube Channel
• Email address for pest ID cards
• 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.

We talk pollination with almond grower 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 chairman of the board of Blue Diamond Growers and has also served on the board of directors for the Almond Board of California, an advisory board member for 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 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:

• Honey Bee Best Management Practices For California Almond Growers
• Pollination Resources
• Bee+ Scholarship to promote bee friendly farming practices
• 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.