Since its launch last December, the California Almond industry map has served as a visual tool for almond growers, processors, allied industry and others to view analyses showing where almond acreage is located throughout the state, orchard age and how suitable the land beneath those orchards might be for groundwater recharge.
Starting today, three new layers are available, all of which can be accessed at Almonds.com/Maps. They include 2016 almond acreage, Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) water quality coalition boundaries and political district boundaries for California Assembly and Senate, as well as U.S. Congress.
The maps, developed in partnership with Land IQ, a Sacramento-based agricultural and environmental scientific research and consulting firm, constitute a comprehensive, living map of California Almonds that draws upon multiple sources of information and extensive validation to create a highly accurate orchard-by-orchard view of the industry.
Based on the mapping assessment of California Almond orchards in 2016, Land IQ found that there were 1,261,915 acres of almonds. In the same year, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated acreage of 1,240,000. With regard to 2016 bearing almond acreage, Land IQ found that there were 981,813 acres while USDA-NASS indicated 940,000 acres.1 2 Those using this new layer on the web map should note that for orchards planted in 2015 and 2016, only those fields that were visually confirmed from ground truthing appear on the map; however, the numerical Land IQ almond acreage estimates above account for these orchards.3
Given the map’s interactive nature, users 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.
For instance, the new political districts map layers provide district boundaries and numbers as well as the name of the associated representative and their political party.
For more information on the California Almond Industry map or to access them, visit Almonds.com/Maps. Any technical questions can be directed to Land IQ at 916.265.6358 or technical.support@landiq.com.
[1] Land IQ. California Statewide Almond Mapping - 2016. Aug. 2017. Based on data from USDA National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) and USGS Landsat.
[2] USDA. National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Field Office. 2016 California Almond Acreage Report. Apr. 2017
[3] This segment of non-bearing acreage is the most difficult to estimate and cannot be remotely sensed. The numerical estimates for 2015 and 2016 rely on ground truthing and other non-spatial information, resulting in an accuracy of +/- 10% for those years.
