California Almond Production Down Slightly From Record 2013

05 May 2014 --- The subjective forecast for the 2014 California almond production is 1.95 billion pounds. This is 2.5 per cent below last year's production record of 2.00 billion pounds, according to an estimate issued by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Yield is expected to average 2,270 pounds per acre, down 4.6 percent from the 2013 yield of 2,380 pounds per acre.

Forecasted bearing acreage for 2014 is 860 thousand. The subjective production forecast is based on a telephone survey conducted from April 15 to April 29 from as ample of almond growers. After the warmest winter on record for California, the almond bloom began in early February.

According to the report, the 2014 bloom was one of the earliest almond blooms in memory. Orchards required irrigation in the winter months due to the lack of precipitation, but rain early in the season offered some temporary relief. Pest and disease pressure has been lower than last year. Overall, the 2014 crop is developing faster than last year and harvest is expected to start early. Water is a concern for many growers this year.

Results of the subjective survey are based on opinions obtained from growers. The sample of growers changes from year to year and is grouped by size of operati on, so all growers will be represented. Growers are asked to indicate their almond yield per acre from last year and expe cted yield for the current year.

Bill Morecraft, General Manager, Blue Diamond Almonds, Global Ingredients Division wrote: “The impact of the continuing drought conditions and early season high temperatures will have an impact on the crop in terms of total quantity, sizing and quality as we still have 3-4 months before harvest. The crop we eventually harvest may be different than what we see on the trees today.”

“Negotiations to replace the existing West Coast port labor agreement create the potential for a West Coast port strike/slow down in June. The last agreement, six years ago, was negotiated without disruption, but Industry veterans will recall the chaos created in 2002 when negotiations stalled.”

“Many markets remain very low on inventory and California industry shipments continue to move at a robust pace. We project carry-out inventory of 350 million pounds in July. There is strong demand across global markets as we move into the summer months.”