Almond Journey

In this episode, pest control adviser (PCA) Robert Sylvester joins the journey. Sylvester has worked for Wilbur Ellis for over 12 years focused on almonds he grew up working in almond orchards with his father. While at Cal Poly, Sylvester interned with Wilbur Ellis which led to a full time position and a PCA license. This background has greatly influenced the way he approaches his almond producer...

Almond grower Jarred Greene didn’t always know he would end up pursuing farming as a career. In 2013, Greene took a summer internship with his current employer, San Juan Ranch, part of Nickel Family Farms. That led him on a journey from washing shop windows to irrigation scheduling to farm management. In this episode, Greene shares insights on where automation fits into an almond operation, especi...

November's Global Update includes the latest on the European Union, engagement in the Indian market and new pesticide and trade strategy development. EU Regulatory & Trade 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 propos...

The 50th Almond Conference will host over 3,500 attendees and 270 exhibitors this December in Sacramento. Jim Jasper, Ladd Hackler, Bob Curtis and Rebecca Bailey have each attended the annual event several times throughout the years. They share some of their experiences in this episode as we hear how far the event has come in the last half-decade.   “It's the super bowl of the almond industry...

EU Regulatory & Trade Update The overall aflatoxin rejections for California almonds in Europe have trended down, from 32 in 2017-18 to 2 so far this year. However, the industry continues to face other challenges associated with aflatoxin rejections, namely, denial of goods returned to origin for rejected shipments in some EU countries such as Spain and Denmark. This is an issue ABC has been a...

Daniel Bays is a sixth-generation California farmer who also happens to be a former California State FFA Officer. In today’s episode, Bays shares about his farming operation, how the FFA has impacted his career and life, and why decades after wearing the blue jacket himself, he’s still passionately supporting the organization. We’ll also hear from Katie Otto of the California FFA Foundation and Re...

Updates on transportation and Logistics, a new USTR Chief Negotiator and China's Decree 248 challenges in this month's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC. Transportation/Logistics Update The number of container ships headed for the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — a traffic jam that once symbolized American consumer vigor during the pandemic...

Almond grower Patrick Abercrombie farms with his family in Kerman, California. In 2007, after about a decade of growing almonds, it became difficult for local hullers to keep up with the increase in deliveries. That paired with a year of untimely rains prompted the Abercrombie family to start stockpiling. “What's happened now with the almonds is we've gotten to the point where they cannot process...

While exports got off to a slow start at the beginning of the marketing year, record monthly shipments during the last quarter resulted in the second largest volume of exports on record, despite a multitude of ongoing challenges including logistical problems, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a strong dollar and ongoing, pandemic-related lockdowns in China. Trade has remained front and center! We c...

Almond grower and pest control adviser (PCA) Patrick Romero shares some of the issues he has been seeing with plant bugs in orchards, including leaffooted bugs and stink bugs. Mel Machado , Blue Diamond Growers vice president of member relations, has been seeing this problem show up at the processor in brown spot damage. In some cases, the economic losses have been significant. “We had deliveries...

Today we head east of Modesto to the town of Denair to visit with Brian Wahlbrink of Sperry Farms. Brian grows almonds with his brother-in-law, Wes Sperry, on their 5th generation farming operation. As many of you know, Brian is also the current chairman of the Almond Board of California (ABC).  Wahlbrink shares about the unique journey that led him to almonds, his long tenure on the global m...

Transportation/Logistics Update ABC staff attended the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) annual conference in Tacoma that focused on ongoing transportation disruptions and touched on many aspects of the logistics crisis. Numerous discussions focused on how and when things may begin to improve; the consensus among those presenting was that things will continue to improve throughout the ca...

Farmers Kyle Nichols and Rory Crowley discuss the benefits and tradeoffs of planting cover crops. They examine the economics and agronomics of the practice, and what this means for water management. Crowley is also the habitat program director for Project Apis m., running the Seeds for Bees program. Seeds for Bees encourages growers to support honey bee habitat and soil health by planting cover cr...

Transportation-Logistics Update The Almond Alliance, along with other agricultural export leaders, has met with significant ocean carriers such as CMA/CGM, OOCL, MAERSK, the Ports of LA, LB, and Oakland, and railroads - UP & BNSF, to find immediate solutions to current industry shipping logjams. Using ABC data, the Almond Alliance was able to show that there is the demand to warrant alternativ...

Richard Waycott is the president and CEO of the Almond Board of California (ABC). Over the past 20 years he has seen almond production triple from one billion to three billion pounds. Recent travels to Spain, Portugal, India, and Duba have informed Richard’s perspective on the global supply and demand drivers impacting almonds. Richard shares some takeaways from these trips and how emerging trends...

On April 25, a group of agricultural stakeholders, led by the Almond Alliance of California (AAC), sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation and other Federal agencies requesting they convene a meeting between agricultural exporters and ocean carriers to address the current trade imbalance. Other signatories included California Farm Bureau; West...

Kirk Pumphrey grows 160 acres of almonds on Westwind Farms in Yolo County. He has been on a seven-year journey to finetune his operation, especially in the areas of irrigation efficiency and distribution uniformity.   “In ‘13 and ‘14 the market was down, and a piece of property became available. I got through the planning of the orchard probably moving, I would say a bit quick in not doing as...

Australia and India ink new Trade Agreement 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...

Devin Clarke has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to crop fertility, and is conducting some interesting trials at YARA’s Incubator Farm . The farm consists of 40 acres that they lease from an almond grower to compare various full season nutrition management strategies. In this episode, Devin discusses what they’re learning at the incubator farm, what’s going on with the volatile fertilizer mark...

  Darren Rigg is a field buyer and sales representative for Minturn Nut Company and a member of the Almond Board of California Board of Directors. Rigg, like other handlers in the industry, sees firsthand how transportation disruptions are impacting the almond supply chain. In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, Rigg talks about the current logistics, transportation, and shipping chal...

In this episode we visit with almond grower and retired Air Force officer Alec Earle. Alec and his wife each spent over 30 years in the Air Force, first in active duty then civil service. In 2014, they bought 20 acres in partnership with his wife’s sister and her husband to form E&S Farms, LLC. Alec used the skills he had developed in the military to research extensively and organize his small...

This National Almond Day episode travels down to Shafter, California to chat with 4th generation California farmer  Jenny Holtermann , who some of you might know from her online presence as  Almond Girl Jenny . Holtermann grew up farming almonds in the Chico area, and now raising the fifth-generation family farmers with her husband in Kern County. In this episode Holt...

In today’s episode, independent PCA and crop consultant, Justin Nay , shares advice and experience for your almond orchard’s integrated pest management program. Justin’s company, Integral Ag Incorporated was formed in 2008. Before that Justin earned his Ph. D. in entomology from UC Riverside, where he worked with the carob moth, a cousin to the almond industry’s biggest pest: the navel orangeworm....

In today’s episode we visit with Carl Evers and Jeremy Olday of AgIS Capital . AgIS Capital is an employee-owned management firm that invests in farmland on behalf of and alongside their investors. AgIS then oversees the management of those farm properties which are located nationwide with the majority being in California and the Pacific Northwest.  Carl Evers is the director of sustainabilit...

In this episode we visit with almond grower and Hughson Nut Field Representative Donny Hicks. Donny manages a small 18-acre orchard, which helps him keep a grower’s perspective in everything he does. Donny shares how he’s offering up his acreage for experiments in areas such as fumigation, pruning, and subsurface irrigation. Then we talk about his role with Hughson Nut, and what he learns from the...