The Almond Board of California Board (ABC) Board of Directors, after reviewing programs and budget recommendations resulting from strategic planning over the past year, unanimously agreed in its April board meeting to recommend a budget for Crop Year 2016–17 to include an increase in the assessment from 3 cents per pound to 4 cents for a three-year period.
The increase is limited to three years because it is expected that almond production will increase significantly during that time, which will provide additional funding.
The three principal reasons the Almond Board determined an assessment increase was needed are:
1. 30% increase in production anticipated by 2020. This estimated 600-million-pound increase needs to be addressed now in order to invest in increasing global demand prior to the production hitting the market. This will require doing more of what has been working to market California Almonds, as well as implementing new, innovative marketing programs.
2. Strain on agricultural resources has never been higher. Almonds are currently California’s highest-value agricultural crop, and soon they will be its largest acreage crop, putting the industry in a leadership role. With this leadership comes responsibility. Additional investment will allow us to take a leadership role by investing in and accelerating research that will enable us to address concerns such as:
- Our changing water supply system and water quality;
- Air quality issues, as they relate to harvesting and pesticide and energy use; and
- Bee health, which is critical to our success.
3. Transformation of the consumer landscape. The environment in which we are growing and marketing almonds is quickly changing. Consumers are more interested in where and how their food is grown and processed. In response, the almond industry needs to take a leading role in the world of sustainable1 farming, as we have done for so long in the world of human nutrition, through transparent communications promoting our meaningful and measured improvements in sustainability.
To plan for and address these challenges, your Board of Directors has worked across the Environmental, Production Research, Almond Quality and Food Safety, Technical and Regulatory Affairs, and Global Market Development Committees to develop a plan of action. This plan includes investment in research through the Accelerated Innovation Management (AIM) program and global marketing.
The AIM program is designed to expand and accelerate sustainability and production research in these nine areas:
- Irrigation and nutrient management
- Orchard and rootstock development
- Harvesting innovations
- Pest management tool development
- Pollination research and management practices
- Biomass and by-product innovation
- Food safety leadership
- Soil health research
- Energy innovation
The global marketing effort is to expand our programs to address production growth and changing consumer needs by:
- Accelerating programs and results in current markets;
- Considering additional markets for development;
- Increasing communication transparency and trust; and
- Ensuring confidence in our sustainability efforts.
The Board of Directors welcomes your feedback and is available to discuss questions you may have about the critical investments and justification for this assessment increase. Please send your questions and feedback to staff@almondboard.com or call the ABC office at (209) 549-8262.
The assessment increase will be reviewed by the USDA, and an opportunity for public comment will be provided before any change is implemented. If approved, the assessment increase will begin in the new crop year 2016–17.
1. Sustainable almond farming utilizes production practices that are economically viable and are based upon scientific research, common sense and a respect for the environment, neighbors and employees. The result is a plentiful, nutritious and safe food product.
