Presentations

The California almond farming community has experienced unprecedented growth in acreage over the past decade. Success has brought with it new challenges and opportunities, as farmers new to almonds bring both a learning curve and a willingness to try new ideas long-time almond farmers might not. New regulatory, resource, and marketplace pressures on agriculture also challenge the farming community. In response, the Almond Board of California has developed the California Almond Sustainability Program with SureHarvest Inc. to encourage almond farmers to assess their resource use and help the statewide almond community benchmarks its best management practices. The effort began in 2009 with a module on irrigation efficiency and crop nutrient management. Farmers assess their practices and water and fertilizer use against a list of best practices as identified by university research and extension faculty, growers, and cropping experts. Dr. Daniel Sonke of SureHarvest will present on this innovative program and share some initial data on what has been learned about almond irrigation best practice adoption.