The future of the California Almond industry is secure, and it only takes a quick look at the past to understand why. During the 2016 Almond Conference, Almond Board of California (ABC) leaders spoke about the impact and importance of innovative solutions, and the roles the entire almond community plays in keeping the industry moving forward.
“Almonds are clearly positioned as the leading tree nut in the world,” said Richard Waycott, ABC president and CEO. “What has made the entirety of this long journey possible has been the tenacity and ingenuity of California Almond growers and their ability to overcome challenges and embrace the opportunities of today, so that almonds can and will be farmed in California for generations to come.”
To continue to lead innovation, Almond Board launched four major initiatives in 2015 under the Accelerated Innovation Management (AIM) umbrella. AIM works to accelerate research in the areas of water management and efficiency, sustainable water resources, air quality and 22nd century agronomics. Through AIM, several key research efforts are yielding real results.
Almond Footprint
Research with Land IQ, for instance, has helped to more accurately map the footprint of almond production in California. Additional research has helped identify unique opportunities to minimize any waste in almond production. Both research efforts help almond growers better understand how their orchards can play a role in industry sustainability.
“You can zero in on your area, where your orchard is, and you would be able to see an overlay in terms of what the assessment is of the groundwater recharge potential where you are,” said Dr. Karen Lapsley, Almond Board of California (ABC) chief scientific officer. “And we want to keep the biomass in the orchards, whether it’s the woody biomass, or in the case of almond hulls, we’ve been involved in helping fund [research] to better understand the breakdown of almond hulls incorporated into the orchard soils.”
Despite the challenges that the almond industry has faced in recent years, ABC leaders continue to have a positive outlook for almond growers and the innovations they incorporate into their daily work, the demand for almond products, and the role almonds will play in the state of California.
Facing Challenges
“Our reputation is really based on how we deal with challenges, how we are able to overcome them, and how we demonstrate what this industry can achieve,” said Julie Adams, vice president, Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the Almond Board. “How you are implementing new technologies, how almonds are being grown … It really demonstrates that we are a valuable part of California agriculture.”
The Almond Conference is the only event dedicated entirely to almonds and serves as a meeting place for almond growers, processors and allied industry members to learn about, discuss and work towards the almond industry of the future. Information and research shared during The Almond Conference are available here.
