NASS Objective Estimate Shocks Industry

July 12, 2013 – The industry was shocked by the NASS Objective Estimate of 1.85 billion pounds for the 2013 crop.  The eyeball test of the crop appears much larger, but misses the quantitative sampling of kernel size.  Handlers raised 2013 selling prices by $.40 a pound in response,...

NASS Estimate on Lower Side of Industry Expectations

The NASS Objective Estimate for the 2013 California almond crop was released, July 1, 2013 at 1.85 billion lbs. The projection is 2% below last year’s crop and down 7.5% from May’s subjective forecast. A lighter Nonpareil crop and smaller kernel sizes across all varieties are contributing to the lower...

Blue Diamond opens first phase of major plant in Turlock

Yesterday was a historic day for Blue Diamond Growers as we opened the doors to our new plant in Turlock, California. The new operation supports the significant growth in our global almond ingredients business with a facility that sets new standards for food safety. Over 300 people  attended the grand...

May California Almond Industry Market Update

June 11, 2013 Almond Prices Firming Final receipts for the 2012 almond crop put the total at 1.88 billion lbs., a 7% decrease from the prior year. Shipments for the year will consume the entire 2012 supply and cut into the ending inventory. As a result, prices in late...

My Recent Interview For Food & Wine

Our work at Blue Diamond Growers offers me the opportunity to form real partnerships with our growers and customers – partnerships that are personal and sincere. Quite often I am asked about my business philosophy and personal interests. So, I’d like to share with you a recent interview from...

“It’s déjà vu all over again”. Yogi Berra

June 4, 2013 From the Desk of  Mark Jansen:           One year ago, NASS released its May subjective estimate of 2-billion pounds for the 2012 crop and pricing softened. At that time I described why a 2-billion pound crop was insufficient to keep up with...

Blue Diamond Almonds – Almond Bloom Report – June 3, 2013

This report covers conditions and observations made between Monday, April 29 and Sunday, June 2, 2013. The next report is scheduled for Monday, July 1, 2013. However, in the event of any significant occurrences prior to that date, this site will be updated as soon as possible.  Northern California...

Domestic Shipments of California Almonds Remain Strong

May 13, 2013 Year-To-Date shipments of California almonds continue to track as expected, flat to last year, limited by supply. Current year crop receipts are 1.880 billion pounds, 7% behind prior year, continuing to project a final total below 1.9 billion pounds. The 2012 California crop is greater than...