Almond Harvest Underway; Crop Appears to be Short

Madera, Calif., (September 29, 2009) - With just about half of the area's almond crop harvested, it looks like this year's crop may fall short of the statewide estimate, according to growers and processors. With much of the crop still on the ground, it's too early to tell overall, but it's safe to say it likely will be less than last year's huge production.

Jason Baldwin, plant manager of Panoche Creek Packing in Kerman, said the yields so far have varied, depending on the area. The Madera, Chowchilla and LeGrand areas are showing crop reductions due to frost that occurred during bloom and early fruit set in March. Panoche Creek's General Manager Frank Roque said there appears to be significant damage in some orchards in those areas. “On average, some growers are trying to get half of what they had last year,” he said.

In addition to frost, Roque said other factors may be contributing to a lighter crop. Last year's crop was so large, Roque said many varieties may show alternate bearing influences and could be taking a year off. Also water issues stemming from last year and increased use of well water could be contributing factors. Post-harvest irrigations for almonds are critical for setting the next season's crop and water shortages along the west side's almond growing region make it difficult to have enough water for those critical irrigations. Likewise, groundwater in this area can contain higher levels of Boron, which almonds trees don't favor. One grower reports one west side orchard may be as much as 60 percent off of last year's production.

Roque and Baldwin both said there are areas in the region that are better than others though. “By Nov. 1, we will have a better handle of where we're at,” said Roque. “Most people think it may be under the estimate, but by how much is in question,” he added.

The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service forecasts California's 2009 almond production at 1.35 billion meat pounds, down 17 percent below last year's crop. The forecast is based on 710,000 bearing acres statewide. Fresno County has more than 120,400 bearing acres.