Hull split is the time of year almonds become susceptible to Navel orangeworm damage
Via Western Farm Press
Navel orangeworm damage in California almonds last year hit an all-time high, leaving some growers with costly reject levels. This has farm advisors and folks like the large almond cooperative Blue Diamond Growers consistently in front of farmers with messages on control.
Mel Machado, Blue Diamond’s director of member relations, says he saw growers that once consistently lived with reject levels under 2 percent with reject levels near 10 percent after last season’s harvest.
Those rejected nuts cost money and mask a bigger problem as the reject levels published on grower statements are half the actual levels as damaged nuts will fall out of the processing stream at the huller and sheller before getting to the processor.
“Keep in mind that the reject levels you see in your statements are half what is coming out of the field,” Machado told Blue Diamond members at a growers meeting in June. “If you had 10 percent on your grower statement you had 20 percent coming out of the field. Half those nuts did not make it through your huller and sheller.”..[Read More]