OCTOBER 12, 2019, BEEKEEPER/ALMOND GROWER NEWSLETTER
2019 Almond Crop: This year’s almond crop turned out much better than many expected during our cool, rainy bloom. The 2019 crop is estimated at 2.2 billion lbs, down only 3% from the 2018 crop. The Sacramento Valley crop is lower than the San Joaquin Valley crop because, as usual, it got more rain: the average normal February-March rainfall in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield is 5.4”, 4.2” and 2.2” respectively; 2019 rainfall was significantly higher than normal in all areas. In most years, bees will have stripped the pollen from almond flowers by noon and you rarely see pollen-collecting bees in almond orchards in the afternoon. This year, rains curtailed most morning bee flight but there was sufficient bee activity between storms and in the late afternoon to accomplish the pollination job.
Almond Prices: Tariff wars have affected almond prices, but not nearly as much as other crops because there are few other areas that have the requisite climate and water. CA provides 75% of world almond sales, followed by Australia (8%) and Spain (7%).
Almond Planting in California Slows Down: There are 1.2 million acres of bearing almonds in California, 300,000 non-bearing acres, much of them planted in the last 5 years. New restrictions on ground-water pumping have made investors and growers leery about getting into almonds or expanding their current acreage. Drought years are inevitable in the future.
Self-Fertile Almonds: There are about 300,000 acres of self-fertile almonds in CA. Yields have been good, but nut quality, although good, is not as good as some expected. One-variety orchards, put maximum pressure on harvest and spray equipment; current standard multi-variety plantings spread out the harvest (and required sprays). One-half bee colony per acre is recommended for self-fertile plantings although many growers feel they won’t need bees (or can get by with weak or no colonies) if their self-fertile orchard is near or adjacent to a standard planting. Self-fertile plantings allow beekeepers to find a home for their weaker colonies rather than combine them to increase average colony strength. Bee colony strength in January falls into a bell-shaped curve, so much sorting is required to provide almond growers with a satisfactory product.
Where’s the Fog?: Beekeepers have noticed much less winter fog in CA in recent years. Foggy days in February give beekeepers much more time during the day to move bees to almond orchards from stockpile sites in the area. Lack of fog makes driving easier, but reduces the number of chilling hours (temps below 45 degrees) that trees require to break dormancy and to produce viable flowers. Cherry and pistachio orchards in CA have suffered significant yield losses in some recent years because they did not get enough chilling hours. Almonds also have a winter-chilling-hour requirement (which is why you don’t see almond orchards in Mexico or San Diego) but it is relatively low, so almond yields have not suffered from fogless winters or from global warming (so far). Scientists believe that many tiny particles in the air are required for fog formation and that current clean-air regulations, including burning restrictions, are the reason for our fogless winter days.
Bee Forage Expands: An amazing 28,000+ acres of bee forage have been planted in CA by almond growers since 2011; 8,000+ acres this year due mainly to the efforts of Billy Synk of Project Apis M who has made presentations and spread the word on the value of such forage. Click on Forage and Seeds for Bees at the PAM website www.projectapism.org. A number different seed mixes are available; the mustard mix is popular because it can bloom when bees are in almond orchards. There is a November 1st deadline for ordering seed. Let other growers and friends know about this great program. First-year applicants are awarded up to $2,000 worth of free seed. Some almond growers were concerned that planting mustard in or near their orchards would reduce bee activity on their trees during almond bloom. These fears have proven unfounded, as bees readily leave other bloom to work almond blossoms because it is much easier for them to get a load of pollen from almond flowers than from other flowers; check it out yourself. Bees are placed in almond orchards prior to bloom and often remain for a while after bloom; having blooming ground cover in or near almond orchards makes for more active, healthier bees …. a win-win for both beekeepers and growers.
Farming The Sun: With increased demand for solar energy, we’re seeing solar panel arrays installed on CA farm land; these installations can provide a good income for farmers, esp. on fog-free winter days (they are more efficient in cooler weather). With more stringent water regulations we could eventually see much of the farmland in our valley transition to large solar farms, esp. in areas with less desirable ag land such as the far west and far east sides of the valley.
Almond Hulls: Almond hulls are a tasty and nutritious feed for dairy cattle. Hull sales provide a good supplemental income for almond growers but hull prices have dropped from $120 to $60/ton as supply now exceeds demand. Other markets for hulls are being explored including a food source for fly larvae that can be used as feed for poultry and fish.
Winter Storage Buildings: There is increased interest by beekeepers in putting their colonies in controlled-temperature buildings during the winter and at least one company is providing a storage service.
Registering Bee Locations: Beekeepers need to register their CA bee locations at beewhereCalifornia
Wonderful!: Stewart and Lynda Resnick are donating an amazing $750 million to Cal Tech for environmental studies with a focus on combating climate change.
Robbin Thorp: Dr. Robbin Thorp, long-time UC Davis faculty member passed away in June at age 86. Dr. Thorp made valuable, long-lasting contributions to beekeepers and to almond growers including his landmark studies showing that it was worth paying more to rent strong bee colonies. Dr. Thorp also made the counter-intuitive observation that almond flowers produced most of their nectar after they were pollinated, a key observation that eluded many people, including me, that had spent lots of time in blooming almond orchards. As a result, many growers now release bees in time to move them to honey producing locations, even though nectar collecting bees can still be seen working almond blossoms. The honey bee (and almond) industries lost a valuable resource when Dr. Thorp devoted the last half of his career (much of it in emeritus status) to native bees, where he also made many valuable, lasting contributions. Dr. Thorp led a very productive life, right up to the end, and left an enviable legacy for others in his field to aspire to and hope to emulate.
Joe Traynor, 10/10/19
