28
Almond Facts
MARCH | APRIL 2016
More than 40 growers from across the Central
Valley attended
Blue Diamond’s
first MASTERS
program in January. The goal of the program is to
share information on key topics including future
trends and tap into the expertise of our established
grower-members in tackling current issues.
“MASTERS is the ideal next step for Young Leaders and
growers who want to be more involved or those interested
in furthering their knowledge and expertise on growing,
the market and the cooperative,” said Ben Goudie,
Blue
Diamond’s
Membership Development Manager.
The agenda for the January meeting included
California’s current water challenges, advocacy within
the state, the power of the
Blue Diamond
brand and an
update on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Those who attended the seminar received a plant tour
of
Blue Diamond’s
Turlock facility and a report on the
coming growing season.
An Outlook of 2016
The cooperative’s CEO and President Mark Jansen started
the meeting with a conversation about the market outlook
and the future of the almond industry. He discussed the
current price shift, noting that right now, the market is
“driven by trader dynamics and not by supply and demand.”
With anticipation of a larger 2016 crop, Jansen explained
Blue Diamond’s
ability to not only handle a short crop, but
also manage a large crop and use both to the cooperative’s
advantage. From growing
Blue Diamond’s
handle in the
market, expanding new product categories and growing
membership, the cooperative’s future is nothing but
optimistic, he said.
“
Blue Diamond
is all about market development,”
Jansen said. “Our investments in new markets and
innovative products will create new demand for our
member-growers’ production.”
MASTERS Program Engages
Established Growers
