Almond Journey

Scott Hermann joined the Journey to discuss the latest in orchard equipment, some of the history behind these machines, and the path toward autonomous equipment in the almond industry. Hermann is the general manager and CEO of TOL Incorporated, which manufactures and distributes pruning equipment and their Twin D Shaker throughout North America. Hermann also shares some of his work on the Almond B...

Chris Chavez joined the Journey to share his story of not coming from an agricultural background and thriving in a successful career in the almond industry. Today, Chavez is the director of almond trading at OFI and he reflected on his experiences trading almonds, partnering with a food company to explore regenerative almond production and joining the Almond Board of California’s Environmental Ste...

In this Almond Byte episode, the Almond Board of California’s Global Trade and Regulatory Affairs (GTRA) team takes a look back at the 2024/25 crop year, highlighting progress on key trade and technical fronts. From securing a breakthrough aflatoxin pre-testing protocol for almond exports to Japan, to helping a 50% tariff reduction in Pakistan, ABC’s efforts have expanded market access and strengt...

In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, Julie Adams, vice president of global technical and regulatory affairs at The Almond Board of California (ABC), hosts a few special guests to discuss a recent Moroccan trade mission visit to California. Adams is joined by Jason New, division director of marketing and development at the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Ted McKinney, CEO of the Nat...

In July's Almond Byte , international trade developments take center stage. A Moroccan delegation visited California in late June, engaging with almond handlers and ABC staff to discuss export solutions that could open new trade opportunities. Meanwhile, Pakistan has slashed almond import tariffs by 50%, the result of years of collaboration between ABC and other stakeholders to boost almond access...

Brittney Goodrich, Ph. D. joined the Journey to discuss the recent almond cost and return studies. Dr. Goodrich is an assistant professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her previous position as a cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, Davis is where she got involved in performing cost and return s...

Cory Broad joined the Journey to discuss the latest in irrigation technology and management. Broad is the agronomic sales manager with AvidWater, and a member of the Production Stewardship Workgroup at The Almond Board of California (ABC). In this episode, Broad discusses his work helping growers with irrigation scheduling, technology utilization, agronomic advice, and getting the most out of thei...

In the latest Almond Byte, highlights from June's Global Update by the Almond Board of California's Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team include critical renewal steps for almond handlers exporting to China, detailed discussions with Chinese officials to strengthen trade relations, and insights from the ABC's 2025 Environmental Stewardship Tour showcasing sustainable farming practices. Add...

Bobbie Williams joins the Journey as both a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and an almond grower. She contributes her expertise as part of the Almond Board of California’s (ABC) Nutrition Research Committee and the Environmental Stewardship Workgroup. Williams discusses her farming background, the latest in nutrition research, the power of pairing the nutrition story with the sustainabilit...

Mike Sonke joined the Journey to share his perspective as a farmer and grower rep. He also is active with the Almond Board of California (ABC), serving on both the Technical & Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Global Communications Committee. In this interview recorded at the Almond Conference 2024, Sonke shares about his journey into farming, his role with Star Nut, and his thoughts on the...

Highlights from May's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, detail the latest in the complex world of tariffs, examining the recent 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China, and the potential impacts on the supply chain. Hear about the significant trade deal announced by President Trump on May 8, which promises...

Craig Duerr joined the Almond Journey Podcast to talk about marketing almonds around the world. Duerr has over 25 years of experience in marketing almonds, first with the Almond Board of California, then with Campos Brothers Farms where he currently serves as vice president of global marketing and sales. This discussion explores the past, present and future of growing the demand and value of Calif...

In April's Marketing Bulletin , Laura Morin of the Almond Board of California shares the story behind the Board’s first major food service collaboration—a spring promotion with Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie chain. Currently running around the country from March through May, the partnership positions almonds as a go-to ingredient, promoting exercise recovery and offering customers the...

Mallorie Hayes joined the Journey to discuss the importance of storytelling, outreach, and education to consumers, legislators, and key stakeholders. During this conversation, she shares her journey into the almond industry and her role in advocating for almond growers. Hayes highlights the industry's efforts in sustainability, legislative engagement and the significance of building strong relatio...

In this episode of the Almond Byte , the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team highlights two major regulatory developments shaping almond exports. First, a major milestone for U.S. almond trade with Japan: USDA and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare have signed a voluntary aflatoxin pre-testing protocol. Years in the making, this agreement signific...

Chuck Fleck joined the Journey to discusses the latest in almond genetics and variety development. Fleck is the director of horticulture research at Sierra Gold Nurseries. During this conversation, he shares his journey into breeding almonds and almond rootstocks, what’s driving his breeding program and what excites him about the future of almond genetics. Fleck also discusses a project with Ohalo...

March’s Almond Byte brings you the latest insights from the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. This month, ABC made waves at Gulfood 2025, connecting with key buyers and exploring future opportunities in Dubai’s expanding trade landscape. Meanwhile, new tariffs on Chinese imports are impacting the global almond market, with retaliatory duties adding more cha...

Justin Morehead, Christine Gemperle and Darren Rigg all joined the Journey to share about their involvement with the Almond Board of California (ABC). These industry leaders discuss why they’ve decided to stay engaged with ABC over the years, and how their perspectives have changed since becoming involved with committees, work groups and board leadership. “It's your industry, and if you want to gu...

Fourth-generation farmer James Chinchiolo grows primarily cherries and walnuts in Linden, California. He has two blocks that he’s looking to re-plant and he is considering planting almonds. In this episode, Chinciolo walks us through his thought process for how he’s approaching this decision and shares his framework for determining the best tree crop he should plant next.   “This is kind of l...

In this episode of Almond Byte , highlights from the February Global Update breaks down the America First Trade Policy memo, new tariffs on major U.S. trading partners, and what this could mean for the almond industry. With Canada and Mexico negotiating last-minute tariff postponements and China implementing targeted retaliatory measures, how will global almond trade be impacted? Plus, we bring yo...

Laura Morin is the director of marketing for North America and China at The Almond Board of California. She joined the Journey to talk about some of the latest marketing initiatives by the almond industry to boost the relevance, value and of course the demand for California almonds. Morin explains the partnership with Deon Sanders (AKA Coach Prime), some advances in almond marketing in China, and...

What happens when one of the biggest names in sports takes over one of the biggest stages in marketing? In the January Marketing Bulletin, we dive into Coach Prime Deion Sanders' powerhouse presence at Radio Row ahead of the NFL championship game. Representing California almonds through the Own Your Prime campaign, Coach Prime isn’t just talking football — he’s sharing the recovery benefits linked...

People from around the industry joined the Almond Journey Podcast at The Almond Conference 2024 and were asked to share what’s on top of their minds headed into 2025. In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from Craig Duerr, Mallvinder Kahal, Rob Kiss, Michelle Penney, Bobbie Williams, Mallorie Hayes, Scott Hermann, Kabir Tumber, Chris Chavez and Clarice Turner. “ That's something that we, as pro...

In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we revisit some of the insights captured on this show over the past year. You'll hear highlights from Nav Athwal, Alicia Rockwell, Tim Jackson and Michael Kelley. These interviews highlight the vast array of almond-related topics covered monthly on the Almond Journey podcast. These year-end reflections cover topics ranging from business strategy, mark...

Highlights from December's Global Update by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California details ABC's participation in the U.S. Ag Trade Mission to China, where ABC staff joined a large team of U.S. Ag Trade Associations at the China International Import Expo. ABC CEO Clarice Turner presented on California almonds during the US-China Agricultural Trade Forum,...