Almond Living Magazine

Buds, Bees and Bloom- Part 1: Buds

These three B's are vital parts to a successful almond pollination and production. Over the next couple weeks I will walk you through Pollination's 3 B's and how each one is an important step to almond farmers. This post was written by Kern County almond grower Jenny Holtermann and originally appeared on her blog, You Say All-mend, I Say Am-end. This is the first in a series of guest posts from Jenny about the pollination process.

The Buzz on Bees

Spring comes early to California’s Central Valley, and farmers and beekeepers alike are already focused on the start of almond bloom. Almonds are the first of the many crops in California pollinated by commercial honeybees, and the February bloom provides bees with their first natural pollen after the long winter.

New Year's Resolutions

We hope you’re enjoying 2015 to date. Here in almond-growing country, our trees soaked up some much-needed rain from the past month and are resting in dormancy before the upcoming bloom. Almond growers are preparing for the next season, and one of our new year’s resolutions at the Almond Board of California is to continue to provide updates here on the blog on the more than $2 million we spend each year on research to continually improve our industry’s role in topics like air and water quality, water management and pest management.

New research shows snacking on almonds instead of a high-carb snack reduced belly fat and other heart disease risk factors

Almonds have long been recognized for their heart health benefits, but new research suggests they may have benefits for your waistline as well. A new study just published in the Journal of the American Heart Association1 showed that snacking on 1.5 ounces of almonds every day vs. a muffin with the same number of calories not only reduced LDL and total cholesterol, but also reduced abdominal (belly) fat and waist circumference in study participants.

The State of an Orchard

Recently on a regional, agriculture-focused radio show here in California, almond grower Tom Rogers talked about the challenges and opportunities facing the almond industry today, with numerous examples from his own orchards. He touched on how he’s dealing with water shortages, and lessons he and his brother are learning about how they can irrigate most efficiently and effectively.

Study Shows How Almonds Lead to Jobs and Economic Opportunities for California

When it comes to the economic impacts of California almonds, maybe you?ve thought about the jobs on the farm and in the orchard, but did you know almonds also put people to work at hulling and shelling plants and manufacturing facilities, as well as generate jobs in supporting industries such as packaging and trucking? These employees then spend their hard-earned money at local restaurants and shops, on activities with their families, and any number of other goods and services in their community from groceries to new cars to school teachers.