IN YOUR ORCHARD
Maximizing Almond Quality and Profitability
The quest for top yields and the highest quality drives an
almond grower’s thoughts and labors throughout the year.
Fertility and water management are high on the list of
priorities required to produce top yields. Careful monitoring
of insect populations, both pest and beneficial species, is
necessary to reduce damage by insect pests, and close
scrutiny of disease pressure and environmental conditions
are required to minimize losses caused by fungal and
bacterial infections.
Growers tend to be well aware of the quality levels
earned by their almond deliveries during the harvest.
Premium values earned by the highest quality deliveries are
intended to reward growers producing high-value almond
deliveries and offset the costs of production. Furthermore,
high-value deliveries are easier to process, taking less
time and lower costs to produce finished products
ready for delivery to
Blue Diamond’s
customers. The
premiums grower-owners earn are directly related to the
cooperative's costs.
When considering the factors that contribute to producing
the highest quality, three factors rank at the top of the list.
Foreign Material
In the case of meat deliveries, foreign material consists
of anything other than the kernels themselves. For inshell
deliveries, anything other than the kernels and almond
shells is considered foreign material. Pieces of hull are the
most common foreign material found. However, soil, rocks,
and wood are also found in deliveries received by
Blue
Diamond
. Peach pits and fragments of peach pits remaining
in the soil on lands that were previously planted to peaches
are also a common problem. Some growers have planted
olive trees around their property and olive pits have been
known to find their way into almonds during the harvest.
Clearly, planting olive trees near almond orchards is never
a good idea.
Some of the more problematic items found in almond
deliveries include plastic, usually from sprinkler or drip
3 8
A L M O N D F A C T S
