A comprehensive living map of California Almonds that draws upon multiple sources of information to provide an orchard-by-orchard view of the industry is now available at Almonds.com/Maps. Through an interactive web map, growers and handlers can zero in on the relevant areas of the state relative to their operations, and understand how their geographic location intersects with various analyzed topics, such as irrigation districts and groundwater recharge suitability.
Industry members also have the opportunity to contract directly with Land IQ, the consulting firm engaged by Almond Board of California (ABC) to develop the map, to commission their own overlays with additional data sets so they can receive proprietary analyses. Results of this spatial imaging work were presented by Land IQ co-owner and principal scientist Dr. Joel Kimmelshue during the “State of the Industry” address at The Almond Conference in early December.
Land IQ, a Sacramento-based agricultural and environmental scientific research and consulting firm, drew upon multiple sources of information and extensive validation to create this exciting new mapping tool.
Planning Tool
ABC invested in this mapping analysis to improve the precision, accuracy and transparency of information about the almond industry. The maps provide an understanding of the impacts and opportunities of almond production that inform decisions regarding responsible resource management, regulatory compliance and planning for the sustainable future of California agriculture.
Originally, the mapping project was intended to elicit a more accurate measurement of almond acreage throughout the state. Land IQ data indicates that California almond acreage is between 5% and 9% greater than the annual USDA-NASS Almond Acreage reports, as seen in a comparative analysis of 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Given that the difference in reporting is steady, this finding does not have any implications on production or mean that the industry can expect a larger crop than is currently projected by USDA-NASS, but rather shows that official estimates have consistently underestimated acreage and therefore overestimated average statewide yields. Reasons for differences between the two sources are largely due to differences in methodology.
Applications
Land IQ’s findings will be evaluated and used by NASS to fine-tune the official almond acreage surveys and other forecasts and reports, and serve as a complementary almond industry resource.
The NASS subjective and objective crop forecasts, almond acreage reports and others are the official USDA estimates and will continue to be the official statistics for the industry. ABC, NASS and Land IQ have begun conversations about how to work together in the future to ensure improved accuracy across industry reports and forecasts, leveraging the strengths of the different methodologies.
Accessing the Map
By visiting Almonds.com/Maps, users can toggle through several map layers outlining almond acreage in 2010, 2012 and 2014, orchard age and groundwater recharge suitability. A fact sheet highlights more about the data, as well as current and future applications.
