Almonds Solidify as Temperatures Rise

  The month of May will bring growers out in the orchard to take care of weed control, fertilization and pest management. Irrigation is also a big activity in May due to the normal increase of temperatures. Growers along the west side of the Sacramento Valley served by the...

Subjective Estimate for 2012 Almond Crop Released

The initial subjective estimate released today by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS) for the 2012 California almond crop is 2 billion pounds, in line with market expectations. The new crop is estimated to be 1.5 percent below 
last year’s record production of 2.03 billion pounds. This year’s...

NASS Almond Acreage Update

The USDA/NASS released their 2011 California almond acreage report on Thursday, April 26, 2012. California’s 2011 almond acreage is estimated at 835,000 acres, up 1 percent from the 2010 acreage of 825,000. Of the total acreage for 2011, 760,000 acres were bearing and 75,000 acres were non-bearing. Preliminary bearing...

Welcome to Almond Insights

Welcome! I’m Mark Jansen, President and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers, the largest provider of almonds worldwide. I’m thrilled to share my point of view with you on almond market updates from around the world—and of course, from the orchards right here in California. Over the past decade, the...

March Shipments Set New Record

This week’s release of March shipment data once again surprised the industry on the high side. Shipments for March 2012 grew 32%, totaling 172.5 million pounds, a new record for March. Year-to-date totals are at 1.343 billion pounds, a 15% increase over the same period last year. Almond demand...

Strong Almond Bloom Kicks Off 2012

The recently completed 2012 bloom has provided some hope of a crop that can fuel continued growth. California almond growers enjoyed relatively good conditions during February’s bloom season with only a few days lost to inclement weather. A cold air mass swept across the entire Central Valley during the...

February Shipments Sets New Record

Industry shipments for February 2012 established a new record for the month, totaling 149.9 million pounds, beating the previously monthly record set last year by 29.5%. Year-to-date totals through February are at 1.171 billion pounds, a 13% increase over the same period last year. Domestic shipments for February totaled...

Fear Is Opportunity In Disguise

Too often people fail to dream big enough. Even worse, instead of focusing on where they want to go, they spend their time thinking about that which they fear. I believe fear is opportunity in disguise. In the case of the almond industry, a few continue to follow traditional...

Snacking Is On The Rise

Consumers are snacking more and their love for almonds remains strong. Technomic, a leading fact-based consulting and research firm serving the food industry, recently noted, “consumers are snacking at least twice a day.” Prompting the increase in consumer snacking trends is a heightened awareness of the caloric content in...