Despite an ongoing drought, the California Almond Board recently announced a record almond objective crop forecast for the 2014-15 season. Based on 860,000 acres, the predicted harvest is expected to be 2.10 billion meat pounds in California — another all-time record.
“Acres planted with almonds have increased almost 15 percent since 2007, according to the 2012 USDA Ag Census,” stated Richard Waycott, President and CEO of the Almond Board of California. “Almond acreage has grown consistently over the years as our family farmers have built their businesses sustainably to meet global almond demand.”
The forecast is up 4.63 percent from the 2013-14 crop production of 2.007 billion pounds and 7.7 percent higher than a May 1 subjective forecast of 1.95 billion meat pounds.
The forecast is independently administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
“This year’s objective forecast during a third-consecutive drought year is a testament to the state-of-the-art farming practices and techniques our growers use to minimize water use,” stated Bill Harp, almond grower and Chairman of the Almond Board of California. “We are looking forward to celebrating a crop that is expected to be the largest on record and even with this volume, it will be a challenge to the meet the ever growing global demand for almonds and almond products.”
