A Banner California Almond Production Forecast
With California Ag Today, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
If you’re in the business of cheering on almond production here in California, have we got good news for you. The 2024 California Almond Forecast just dropped – see what I did there? – last week and it’s pegging this year’s Golden State almond production at 3 billion pounds. That’s not just a little increase over last year. It’s up 21% surpassed in recent years only by the crop of 2020.
According to the USDA National Ag Statistics Service, the subjective production forecast is based on a survey conducted from April 19 to May 5 from a sample of 500 almond growers.
Let’s take a recap of the weather for the season. According to USDA NASS, the 2024 almond crop experienced fluctuating, but mostly favorable weather for the first half of the growing season. The bloom began the second week in February for the early varieties. There were a handful of storms that brought rain, wind, and hail to some areas, but overall mild temperatures and excellent weather from the end of February into early March helped boost pollination. Bee hours were reported to be significantly higher than last year. Bloom was finished by the middle of March.
