RESEARCH & EVENTS
The group covered a lot of ground in the four days before the conference , from visiting nurseries to machinery companies , meeting with researchers and networking with the Almond Board of California . On the first day of the tour , the Almond Board of California ( ABC ) hosted the group for lunch at their office in Modesto and gave presentations on a diverse range of topics including water regulation , sustainability , and nutrition . The ABC ’ s hospitality , generosity , and willingness to work together was greatly appreciated . Learning about new developments that have the potential to benefits growers is a priority for the ABA . The group visited orchard machinery companies , OMC and Flory to inspect orchard equipment and discuss developments in machinery , including OMC ’ s shake and catch machine . The group also visited Duarte Nursery to learn about new varieties . Vice President of OMC , Brian Anderson kindly arranged for the group to meet with Californian almond grower Sam Nevis . The group gained a lot from hearing
about the issues currently being faced by the Californian almond industry from a grower ’ s perspective . On the final day of the tour , the group visited UC Davis and met with researchers to discuss a range of topics . Highlights from the day at the University of California included learning about Professor Alissa Kendall ’ s carbon research , discussing cover crops and integrated pest management with Associate Professor Amelie Gaudin and hearing Dr Maciek Zwieniecki ’ s insights on the impact of non-structural carbohydrate concentrations and its potential relationship with dieback observed in Monterey . Another huge benefit of the tour was giving board members and staff a chance to reconnect , after the pandemic . Opportunities to catch up in person have been few and far between in recent years due to covid restrictions . The study tour was an excellent lead up to the conference and provided ample opportunity to learn about new research and development and to network and make connections .
The Almond Industry Californian Study Tour 2022 ( AL22006 ) is a Hort Innovation-funded project and enables the Australian almond industry to continue to build on the international network established in recent years with the Californian almond industry that combined with Australia represent 87 % of global production . The US industry is the dominant world producer and invests annually $ 80 million on research and market development programs . The funding of travel to allow the interaction of Australian industry members with counterparts in the US and with researchers developing knowledge and technologies of interest has been the key to this network development . A final report will be developed to illustrate the benefits to the participants on the trip to the wider Australian almond industry and members .
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
31