The success of the California Almond community relies upon many people in many different roles. From almond farmers and processors, to equipment manufacturers and environmentalists, all contribute to a sustainable future for California Almonds. Working in partnerships fuels the industry to move forward. During the 2016 Almond Conference State of the Industry session, the Almond Board of California (ABC) President and CEO, Richard Waycott, provided attendees an overview of these partnerships and the paths ABC and these organizations are forging together.
Partnerships with organizations such as Sustainable Conservation, Environmental Defense Fund, University of California, Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Almond Alliance of California have led to research that increases our understanding of groundwater recharge potential, and innovation in the area of almond coproduct uses.
“By successfully partnering with these organizations, we’ve found that one plus one equals three, or four or five,” Waycott said in his address. “We have begun to establish these partnerships at levels of cooperation that are remarkable. We strive for the same goals, and that is to effect real and meaningful change. These collaborative relationships are providing multiple and novel opportunities for progress. We’ll continue to pursue relationships with other organizations for the benefit of almond growers and the position of the almond industry in California agriculture.”
In addition, ABC has partnered with Land IQ, a Sacramento-based agricultural and environmental scientific research and consulting firm, to develop 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 California Almonds.
“The Almond Board is very proactive in wanting to know not only the acres of almonds but also where they are,” said Joel Kimmelshue, Land IQ, during the same session. Correlating data from state and federal agencies and overlaying that with soil maps reveals where there is potential for using almond orchards for groundwater recharge, he pointed out. “The significance of these results is in finding that there are approximately 600,000 acres of almond orchards that have potential for recharge,” he said.
The Almond Conference is the only event dedicated entirely to almonds and serves as a meeting place for almond farmers, processors and anyone in the almond business to learn, discuss and work towards the almond industry of the future.
