NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Leading from the Front
“In the mountains, the strongest climber always leads from the front and I
believe that Blue Diamond Growers exemplifies the philosophy that leading
by example is the most effective form of leadership.” — John Stenderup
Last year
Almond Facts
featured
Blue Diamond Growers’
family member,
John Stenderup, and his journey climbing Mt. Everest. This year, John went
on an expedition to ascend Summit K2, the second highest mountain in the
world at 28,251 feet and organized the campaign, Leading from the Front,
to emphasize the importance of this climb.
Blue Diamond
supported his
effort by supplying his team nourishment with snack almonds.
John departed from the U.S. on June 18 with 49 days scheduled for the expedition. He officially reached the summit
of K2 on July 21! You can read about his expedition at
and follow him on Instagram at
.
USDA Estimates Record-Breaking 2018 Almond Crop
Despite concerns earlier in the year about freezing
weather during almond bloom, careful management
by California farmers and newer orchards coming into
production have resulted in a record-breaking crop
according to the 2018 Almond Objective Measurement
Report. This confirms earlier predictions from the 2018
Almond Subjective Forecast released in May.
Published by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific
Regional Office (NASS/PRO), the Objective Report is the
official industry crop estimate. The report finds that the
2018 crop estimate is 2.45 billion pounds — up 7.9 percent
from the 2017 crop production of 2.27 billion pounds.
The Objective Report follows the Subjective Forecast,
which provides an early estimate of the coming crop
after it has set on the trees. The Objective Report collects
data later in the growing season, closer to harvest, and is
based on an actual count of nuts on the trees. This year’s
Objective Report projects an almond crop up 6.5 percent
from the May forecast of 2.3 billion pounds.
Per the Objective Report, the average nut set per tree is
5,677, down 0.6 percent from the 2017 almond crop. The
Nonpareil average nut set is 4,924, down 13.9 percent
from last year’s set. The average kernel weight for all
varieties sampled was 1.54 grams, down 1.9 percent
compared to the 2017 average weight of 1.57 grams.
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A L M O N D F A C T S
