California is poised to witness a decrease in walnut production, with expectations of a 19% reduction compared to the previous year. This downturn is attributed to a decrease in bearing acres alongside diminished yields, as highlighted in a USDA survey.
The projected output for the California walnut crop stands at 670,000 tons, derived from data collected between July 22 and August 22, encompassing 1,422 trees across 711 orchards throughout the state. This marks a downturn from the preceding year's record production of 824,000 tons, surpassing the anticipated 790,000 tons for the 2023 season.
Challenges such as low chill hours, heavy spring rains leading to heightened blight occurrences, and record-breaking summer temperatures have compounded, necessitating increased irrigation and ultimately impacting nut quality adversely for 2024. Furthermore, the acreage dedicated to walnut cultivation has receded to 370,000 bearing acres, down 4% from 2023, from a peak of 400,000 acres in 2022.
Walnut growers have been contending with a downward trend in prices since 2013, from a high of $1.85 per pound to approximately 30 cents per pound in 2022, with a slight increase to about 42 cents per pound last year. This financial strain is compounded by a tepid demand for walnuts, among other challenges outlined in a report by Terrain, a collaborative effort of economists and analysts from American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America, and Frontier Farm Credit, aimed at providing insights into economic trends and agricultural markets.
Source: FarmProgress