Almond growers already seeing effects of drought
The worsening drought forced a 13% cut in the projected almond crop in California.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture now expects about 2.8 billion pounds from the August-October harvest. The initial estimate in May was for a record 3.2 billion pounds.
Some growers have opted to strip nuts from branches so their trees can get by with less irrigation this summer, Monday’s report said. Water is especially short in parts of the western and southern San Joaquin Valley.
Any upside? Growers with adequate water can expect higher prices per pound from almond buyers around the world. This includes the Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts.
The state accounts for about 80% of the global almond supply. Farms and processing plants employ several thousand people in and near Stanislaus County.
Even with Monday’s revision, this year’s harvest would be the secondlargest ever, topped only by the 3.12 billion pounds in 2020. The Almond Board of California, based in Modesto, noted this in a news release.
“The report still forecasts a really large crop, and it’s further proof that California is an ideal place to grow almonds, even in difficult times,” said board chairman Kent Stenderup, a grower in Kern County.
The estimates are made each year by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The first is announced in May, based on a telephone survey of growers about how their almonds are developing. The second is in July, following visits to orchards to count and measure nuts.
The initial projection was based in part on favorable weather in February and March for the bees that pollinate the trees. Growers also reported little trouble with almond pests or diseases.
The winter had belowaverage rain and snow. The outlook got even worse with the lack of spring storms.
“Due to low water allocations and record high temperatures in June, the crop did not develop as well as expected,” Monday’s report said. “Some growers have decided to save their trees by stripping nuts before harvest.”
Many customers of the federal Central Valley Project have zero water this year. Some are getting 75% because of river rights predating its construction.