Almond Journey

UC Cooperative Extension Tree Crop Farm Advisor Franz Niederholzer joined the Journey to provide a practical overview of best practices for spray operations in an orchard. Trained as a soil scientist, Niederholzer started with Cooperative Extension over 20 years ago. Over the past few decades, he has developed and shared expertise on spray-related topics like coverage, drift, nozzle selection, tec...

Dan Lawson is a licensed Qualified Applicator and the Huller Manager at Treehouse California Almond. Lawson joined the Journey and shares about his job as a huller manager, what they’ve seen come in from the orchard these past couple of years, and how he keeps current in his continuing education efforts to stay up to date on best practices. “Navel Orangeworm, and some of these other types of serio...

Highlights from November's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of Californian dive into key international developments impacting the almond industry. Get updates from ABC’s recent EU meetings, where staff members engaged with European trade and regulatory bodies to address critical issues affecting almond exports. Hear about their efforts to main...

As a kid growing up on her family's farm in San Joaquin County, Elisabeth Watkins won TV cooking competition Chopped Junior . Since that time, Watkins has dedicated herself to teaching others about agriculture through cooking. Today she continues to make regular media appearances, including recent appearances on several Sacramento TV station morning shows displaying almond-based recipes. In this e...

In October's Marketing Bulletin, we're diving into the Almond Board of California's (ABC) latest market expansion strategy: bringing California almonds to Mexican bakeries. Join us as we explore how ABC's recent tour of California's Central Valley hosted top Mexican chefs and bakers, offering an in-depth look at the potential of almonds as a key ingredient in Mexico’s booming bakery sector. Led by...

In this episode of the Almond Byte podcast, we dive into ABC’s debut at World Food India, where almonds took center stage in discussions on food processing and health-conscious consumers. Hear about the key insights shared by the Ministry of Food Processing and how ABC is leveraging new connections to expand almond innovation in India. Plus, we’ll cover the latest developments from the EU parliame...

In this episode, Almond Board of California Directors Brandon Rebiero and Kelli Evans discuss the almond industry delegation that recently traveled to Washington, D.C. The trip was an opportunity to engage with key government and legislative offices, providing an update on almond industry issues. They also discussed market development and innovation activities, efforts to build demand, Board...

Kern County almond grower Bret Sill shares some of his experiences building the soil biology in his orchards through practices like integrating sheep into the orchard and planting cover crops. Sill also discusses his experiments with off-ground harvest and reflects on how this approach might fit into his overall system. Ultimately, Sill is looking to reach his productivity goals with minimal input...

In September's Almond Byte podcast, we dive into the recent visit of a Chinese Nut Delegation to California's Central Valley, hosted by the Almond Board of California (ABC). Learn how this delegation of 25 Chinese importers explored the almond industry and why this group is a critical partner for trade relations. We also discuss ABC’s analysis of the Pre-Export Check (PEC) program amidst rising af...

According to a report produced by a collaborative effort between UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension , the fungal pathogen red leaf blotch (RLB) was first detected in California almond orchards on the border of Merced and Madera counties in late May 2024. Previously known for its impact on almonds in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, RLB’s presence in California has understandably raised al...

In the August Marketing Bulletin, we dive into the exciting return of the Almond Board of California's "Own Your Prime" campaign, featuring NFL legend Deion Sanders for a second year. Tune in to hear how this partnership will expand its reach with fresh content, new media strategies, and why Coach Prime's genuine love for almonds makes this campaign a game-changer for the industry. Don't miss out...

Joseph Jackson grew up in his family’s farming operation in the Visalia area. Upon deciding to downsize the family farming operation, Jackson took on an off-farm job as a Customer Success Director for Phytech. Jackson shares his perspective as someone who has implemented technology as a farmer, and someone who helps other farmers utilize technology. “As ag tech in general, we have made some amazin...

Listen to July's Marketing Bulletin as we dive into Keith Schneller's recent trip to Turkey, representing the Almond Board of California. Discover how this journey – spanning Istanbul to Antalya and Mersin – unveiled significant market opportunities for California almonds. Schneller's meetings with major almond processors, insights from the TUKSAID conference, and observations on the Turkish nut m...

Nav Athwal joined the Journey to share his perspective on growing a farming business amid tough economic conditions. Athwal is the president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures. After growing up on the family farm, he became a real estate and land use attorney and then a technology entrepreneur. Seven years ago, he returned to the family farm to help with operat...

Highlights from July's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California begins with the ABC annual industry delegation's recent visit to Washington, DC, where almond growers and handlers engaged with key government and legislative offices. In addition, learn about the Ag Export Finance/Insurance Webinar held on June 11. This webinar introduced v...

Joe Palomino is a Clovis-based agronomist and Certified Crop Consultant (CCA) who works for Axiom Agriculture. His work focuses primarily on crop fertility and soil health, but he also does some irrigation consulting as well. On today’s episode, Palomino shares how he ended up in agronomy without an agricultural background, his thoughts on finding nutrient balance in the orchard, his experience in...

California almonds are taking the Indian market by storm with a new advertising campaign aimed at younger consumers. The Almond Board of California's innovative ads blend humor with health benefits, encouraging Indians to snack on almonds beyond their traditional morning routine. Hear about the market dynamics, ideas behind the new advertisements, and future marketing tactics and plans from ABC's...

Almond grower and Almond Board of California (ABC) Director Christine Gemperle joined the Journey again, this time to discuss groundwater recharge, crimping cover crops, and continuing her efforts to build soil health in her orchards. Gemperle also provides an update about her work on the almond board and the trip this past year to meet with growers around the state to introduce new CEO Clarice Tu...

Discover how the Almond Board of California is helping to grow markets globally with key updates from recent trips by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. From insightful participation in the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council Congress to engaging discussions at the AgTC Annual Conference, the team continues to address opportunities and challenges alike. Learn about Maximum R...

Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California and chief government affairs officer at Blue Diamond Growers, joined the Journey to share her perspective on stewardship and advocacy for the almond industry. Rockwell discusses lessons from her work at Blue Diamond and Save Mart Supermarkets, the critical role California Almond Stewardship Program (CASP) self-assessments have played in...

In recent months, the ABC Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team has been helping to expand global markets by meeting with key players in India, Turkey and Pakistan, and creating opportunities for the industry through both market promotional proposals. Hear the details from the trips and efforts, and about an upcoming webinar to help exporters grow and secure their sales.

Tree planting is a tremendous investment. The details of how to plant an orchard properly can have a big impact on the bottom line. In today’s episode, Dr. Brent Holtz explains the reasons that he regularly receives calls from growers about their young trees dying. These problems led Holtz to work with the Almond Board of California to create a video in both English and Spanish to highlight the mo...

Effective integrated pest management (IPM) programs for almond pests, especially for navel orangeworm, are not a one-size-fits-all situation and Thomas Martin says especially during these challenging economic times. Martin, a chemist by training and a regional technical representative for Trécé, was a participant in the Almond Leadership Program last year and his project involved analyzing the ret...

Coach Prime and the Almond Board of California joined forces around the big game earlier this year, further extending their game-changing campaign. Dive into the behind-the-scenes action and unprecedented success of the 'Own Your Prime' partnership, as ABC's Laura Morin reveals the remarkable impact on California almonds and beyond.

In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we return to The Almond Conference 2023 where we sat down with Almond Board of California Director of Nutrition Research Elena Hemler. Hemler joined the Almond Board over a year ago to work with the Nutrition Research Committee to lead efforts in expanding the body of knowledge about the health properties of almonds. She came to the industry from an a...