The Lifecycle Of An Almond

The worldwide enhance in demand for protein has been a boon for tree nuts usually and almonds particularly. In consequence, the almond business is rising quickly not solely in the USA, but additionally in nations corresponding to China and India. As extra individuals in these nations enter the center class, the demand for almonds as a supply of protein and diet will solely get stronger.

Practically 80% of the worlds almonds develop in California with the remaining share rising in Australia, China, the EU and Turkey. Regardless of almonds being a vital a part of California’s total agricultural economic system, rising considerations over drought within the Western United States has resulted in a whole lot of adverse publicity for this more and more fashionable tree nut. Headlines corresponding to “It Takes a Gallon of Water to Develop an Almond” are rising in reputation particularly because the drought worsens.

At Terra Ag, we’re bullish on the almond market and lengthy on this commodity. As such, I assumed it could be helpful to provide an outline of the lifecycle of an almond to assist inform readers on what’s concerned to develop and promote this tree nut to the plenty. I additionally wish to bust a few of the extra outrageous myths round water utilization because it pertains to almonds.

The Starting

Sure, almonds do develop on timber. The San Joaquin Valley is probably the most considerable manufacturing space for almonds globally. In case you are driving down the I-5 from San Francisco to Los Angeles, you’ll discover rows of neatly planted timber happening for a whole lot of miles. These timber are most definitely almond timber a few of which can have been planted 20-25 years in the past.

An almond tree doesn’t produce almonds instantly. Fairly, it takes about 3-4 years after an almond tree is planted for a commercially viable almond crop to take. From there, the almond tree will sometimes develop extra productive till it peaks in manufacturing capability round 12 months 7 or 8. It’s going to then proceed to supply a commercially viable crop for one more 12-15 years when yields will begin to decline. At this level, a vital resolution will have to be made by the farmer – ought to I pull out the timber and replant or ought to I proceed to farm the timber as is to save lots of prices.

Water and Irrigation

As a result of rain alone in California just isn’t ample to develop a commercially viable almond crop, farmers have to complement the rain with irrigation. Traditionally, the commonest irrigation technique was flood irrigation the place a farmer would flood her discipline and submerge the entire timber in water. This allowed the farmer to save lots of on costly infrastructure prices corresponding to underground pipes and micro-irrigation expertise and made sense when water was considerable and low-cost.

Nevertheless, as water has develop into extra scarce and farmers have develop into extra conscious of their very own affect on the atmosphere, flood irrigation is a uncommon incidence. Fairly, most almond farmers use extremely environment friendly irrigation strategies corresponding to drip irrigation or micro-sprinkler irrigation. Not like flood which has 50% effectivity, these new irrigation strategies have efficiencies as excessive as 95%. What this implies is that we will now develop a pound of almonds with rather a lot much less water than we did 10-20 years in the past.

Moreover, some farmers are taking it a step additional through the use of subsurface drip or Deep Root Irrigation. These strategies are much more environment friendly in that they scale back or get rid of the evaporation of water that happens when the irrigation is utilized on the soil floor. Fairly, the water is utilized on to the roots of the tree under the soil floor. With rising considerations over drought, water and local weather change, subsurface irrigation will develop into extra fashionable in California. At Terra Ag, now we have already transformed lots of our present orchards to this expertise with a purpose to save water and enhance effectivity.

Irrigation Districts and Groundwater

As a result of water is such an essential a part of almond farming in California, it is necessary then that there be some degree of governance in terms of water availability and allocation. Accordingly, California has dozens of irrigation districts all through the state in command of making water accessible to farmers inside their jurisdiction and making certain that this vital useful resource just isn’t wasted.

However not all irrigation districts are created equal. Fairly, in California, there are the haves and the have nots. In some instances, irrigation districts have such robust water rights (what they name pre-1914 water rights) that even within the worst water years (corresponding to 2015 and 2021) water availability is considerable and comparatively cheap. Alternatively, there are irrigation districts which are depending on federal or state water the place in a 12 months like this 12 months, the irrigation district has 0% allocation and a farmer should depend on her wells (assuming she has wells) to irrigate her crop.

It’s no shock then, that water availability dictates the viability and worth of a chunk of property in California. And the issue is just worsening with the passage, in 2015, of the Sustainability Groundwater Administration Act or SGMA for brief. Traditionally, groundwater pumping in California has been ruled by the doctrine of cheap use. So long as you’re pumping water and never losing it, you possibly can pump as a lot as you need. The consequence of this a long time previous precedent has been declining aquifer ranges all through the state particularly in drought years.

Understanding this, Governor Jerry Brown handed SGMA as a method to protect our aquifer ranges (a few of which have taken tens of 1000’s of years to take form). Accordingly, by the 12 months 2040, each aquifer and basin in California have to be web impartial when it comes to how a lot water is being taken out versus being put again into the bottom. Consider it like a checking account. Your financial institution steadiness can go up and down over time but when it goes under zero, then you’re assessed charges and penalties. SGMA works similarly.

Cultivation

The almond season begins in late October after the prior years harvest. Throughout this time, it’s vital to provide the almond timber sufficient diet earlier than dormancy that they’re able to push buds throughout bloom time in February. This primarily entails making use of nitrogen, potassium, zinc and phosphate to the timber. These vitamins might be utilized by way of the irrigation water (typically referred to as fertigation), unfold onto the soil in a dry format or utilized in a foliar spray to the leaves of the tree.

Round December, the timber will lose all their leaves and go dormant (i.e. go to sleep). Throughout this time, the timber is not going to uptake any diet or water. They may come out of dormancy in late January and that’s additionally when they’re able to undergo “bloom”. Bloom is when the almond timber begin pushing buds and finally flowers that have to be pollinated by honey bees to ensure that the buds to finally produce almonds.

Bloom time is why California is the one place in the USA the place almonds are viable. It’s vital throughout this time that the air temperature not strategy freezing in any other case it would kill the buds and drastically affect the crop. California’s delicate winters is why almonds are so profitable on this state as in comparison with different western states corresponding to Arizona or New Mexico.

As soon as the flowers are pollinated, the timber will begin producing foliage (leaves) and small nuts that may finally develop into the almonds we eat. This often happens round early March. That is additionally the time when irrigation water and extra diet is utilized to the tree with a purpose to measurement the almond kernels and guarantee they continue to be on the tree quite than fall off earlier than totally maturing. Once more, this implies making use of nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and micronutrients corresponding to zinc, boron and iron both by way of the water, in a dry format to the soil and/or to the leaves within the type of a foliar spray.

The water utilization additionally will increase steadily from March by way of July, peaking in July after which declining from July by way of October. From March by way of July, the almond kernels are growing in measurement. In consequence, diet and water is vital throughout this time to make sure there’s ample power to correctly measurement and maintain the crop. Many farmers may make use of what is named “deficit irrigation” particularly in years like this 12 months. Deficit irrigation is a method to scale back the water wants of the tree with out essentially impacting the crop. Deficit irrigation is principally utilized after the almond kernels have totally sized (in July) and might result in 20% financial savings in water necessities throughout that point.

Along with nutrient necessities, almond timber additionally require fungicides and pesticides to guard the crop from illness and bugs. The primary fungal sprays are utilized throughout bloom time in February. Pesticides, alternatively, are primarily utilized in the summertime to guard the crop from mites and naval orange worm or NOW for brief.

Harvest

Almond harvest in most components of the state begins in early August. Though traditionally almond harvest might have been a labor intensive guide course of, at the moment, almonds are principally mechanically harvested by way of tree shakers, sweepers and harvesters.

Harvest begins when a tree shaker shakes every tree to ensure that the nuts to go from the tree to the bottom. It’s vital to time this correctly. You don’t wish to shake too early in any other case not all of the nuts will come off the tree or you’ll have nuts that aren’t but prepared or have an excessive amount of moisture. You additionally don’t wish to shake too late in any other case you’ll enhance your insect injury and stress on the tree.

As soon as the timber are shaken, the almonds are swept into neat rows utilizing a sweeper. From there, they’re picked up from the bottom with a harvester and trucked over to a huller. Almond kernels, whereas on the tree, develop inside a woody shell and are enclosed inside a greenish brown hull. Neither the shell or the hull are edible. Fairly, the almonds we buy and eat as customers are the edible almond kernel. Accordingly, the huller will take away the hull (and generally the shell) leaving solely the edible kernel. The kernels (and in some instances the kernels inside the shell) are then offered to varied processors across the state that then package deal or additional course of them after which in the end promote the almonds domestically and overseas to the top wholesaler or retailer. The biggest processor within the state of California is Blue Diamond. The hull doesn’t go to waste, although, and is commonly offered to dairies as cow feed given its excessive nutrient content material.

As soon as the almonds are offered to the processor, the processor might then flip them into merchandise corresponding to nut butters and almond milk or promote them as is to allow them to be consumed as complete almond kernels. During the last decade, China has been the most important importer of California Almonds. Nevertheless, with the tariff wars and the upper obligation on almonds, extra not too long ago India has overtaken China as the most important importer of California Almonds. Regardless of the worldwide demand for almonds, the USA remains to be the most important client of almonds globally.

Replanting Concerns

On the finish of an almond tree’s financial life (sometimes when the timber are between 20-25 years previous), an almond grower is left with an essential query: ought to I pull out the timber and plant a brand new orchard? This consideration typically includes weighing totally different information factors together with present manufacturing ranges on the orchard, the state of the almond market, and replant prices and availability of value efficient capital.

If the grower does resolve to replant her orchard, then the method described above begins once more. Replanting an orchard begins with the grower pulling out the prevailing timber after which making ready the land for by deep ripping the soil to loosen it and take away any arduous pan, disking and floating the bottom, putting in the irrigation infrastructure and eventually planting new timber. Oftentimes, the almond varieties that had been fashionable 20-25 years in the past (when the orchard was first planted) might have been outmoded by newer extra fashionable varieties. One other consideration for the grower when deciding to replant.

Replanting is one other alternative for growers to make the most of sustainable practices. For instance, an more and more fashionable follow in California contains pulling out the timber, shredding them after which making use of the inexperienced compost again to the soil earlier than planting the brand new timber. At Terra Ag, we’ve accomplished this on lots of our replant orchards. By doing this, we not solely get rid of the necessity to burn the previous materials, but additionally get rid of transportation prices to haul the fabric away and enhance the microbial content material of the soil. This in flip, permits the soil to seize extra carbon which can even be a possible resolution for local weather change.

Wanting Forward

Wanting forward, almond cultivation has suffered from drought and almond costs have suffered from file manufacturing in 2020 and the US/China Tariffs. Moreover, as almonds are a snacking product closely used within the hospitality and journey industries, costs have additionally skilled headwinds because of Covid-19. Nevertheless, steady demand has saved pricing steady albeit under historic averages. And with the USDA goal estimate for the 2021 almond crop coming in nicely under projections, almond costs have began to get well.

As you possibly can see from the above described course of, farming and producing almonds just isn’t simple. And the method is just getting harder with labor shortages, multi-year drought and growing regulation. Nevertheless, most almond farmers I’ve met and talked to are resilient. They love what they do and are dedicated to preserving pure assets and utilizing regenerative practices which are good for his or her farm and the atmosphere. Accordingly, subsequent time you go to your native farmers market or grocery retailer and also you come throughout a bag of almonds or almond milk or almond butter, keep in mind all the things that went into making that product accessible to you.