AUSTRALIAN ALMOND
CONFERENCE
16
Family growers at heart of Californian industry
DESPITE Californian almonds being the biggest heavyweight in the world when it comes to almond production , small family growers are still at the heart of the industry , according to Almond Board of California ( ABC ) President Richard Waycott . Mr Waycott flew all the way to Adelaide from California to address attendees at the Australian Almond Conference and to give a snapshot of the Californian almond industry . His presentation well and truly illustrated the enormity of the industry , from the size of the almond board staff to the acreage covered in California by almond plantings and the vast marketing campaigns promoting almonds happening globally . Mr Waycott said almond plantings in California had increased significantly since 2015 , but most orchards were still under 100 acres ( 40 hectares ) and 90 per cent of the almond orchards belonged to family farms . He said bigger companies would continue to invest heavily in almonds and account for more plantings in the future , but for now it was largely a family business . Touching on current challenging weather conditions , Mr Waycott said California ( along with other western states ) was in its third year of the third multi-year drought in the last 20 years . Other challenges facing Californian almond growers included increasing input costs associated with pollination such as rising beekeeper costs to maintain hives and declining honey
In A Nutshell - Summer 2022 Vol 23 Issue 4
Almond Board of California President Richard Waycott says family farms are still at the heart of the world ' s biggest almond industry .
America ' s almond industry is forecast to produce a whopping four billion tonnes of almonds by 2030 .
revenue , plus increased costs of irrigation , rising energy costs to pump , high labor costs around harvest , and a huge cost spike for fertilisers . There were plenty of positives Mr Waycott touched on in terms of the demand for almonds and it being the frontrunner in consumer preferences for plant-based options . And despite the current drought conditions , the American almond industry is still forecast to produce over four billion pounds of almonds by 2030 , up from the current 2.9 billion pounds of almonds currently being produced ( pictured ). The Almond Board of California is currently implementing marketing programs in 10 different countries , with each program specifically tailored to consumers based in each country . During his visit to South Australia , Mr Waycott also participated in the Almond Board of Australia ’ s Open Day at the Almond Centre of Excellence in Loxton , along with ABC Chief Scientist Josette Lewis .