The much-awaited report from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) forecasts a 21% increase in this season’s almond yield, putting the total at 3 billion pounds on bearing acreage that is essentially unchanged from last year. The previous season came in at 2.47 million pounds, and the economic climate for farming almonds remains a challenge.
The industry reached a record crop of 3.2 billion pounds in 2020.
Despite the variation in weather conditions at the start of the growing season, which included heavy rains, winds, and even hail, temperatures were conducive to increased bee activity which allowed for a successful pollination season. This is also the second consecutive wet water year.
However, pest and disease pressures have increased due to the increased precipitation and warmer temperatures in April.
This report is one part of two from USDA-NASS: the subjective forecast released May 10 and the objective report released July 10.
In order to accurately represent the industry as a whole, the sample of growers for the subjective forecast is grouped by operational size and changes annually. The survey is the result of the opinions of almond growers and information gathered from April 19 to May 5 based on the previous year’s yield and this year’s expected yield.
The objective report due for release in July will leverage precise almond counts from about 1,000 orchards.
Main image: Almond at hull split.
Photo: Crystal Nay
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