Almond Journey

Our featured topic for today’s episode, and a challenge many almond growers deal with: navel orangeworm. Kent Stenderup joins the show to talk about mating disruption for navel orangeworm, water, and so much more. Kent is a third generation farmer and has been an almond grower since 2006. Along with his experience with mating disruption techniques, he also shares the challenges he has faced with sourcing water in the face of droughts and getting started in almond farming. Kent has had a lot of success incorporating mating disruption into his integrated pest management program, and his experiences are definitely worth sharing. The integrated approach to managing navel orangeworm used by Kent and many others is a direct result of decades of research funded and supported by the Almond Board. 

“We spray one time less, and the grades are better in the mating disruption fields. It works. It really does. And it definitely covers the cost.” - Kent Stenderup

To further our discussion, Drew Wolter, pest management senior specialist at the Almond Board, chimes in to share the research that is not only being applied to navel orangeworm, but to other pests as well. 

“The Almond Board has been funding navel orangeworm research, and has made great progress in terms of determining various production practices that growers can implement for navel orangeworm. Now this isn't just IPM practices that include mating disruption, but also cultural practices such as winter sanitation.”  - Drew Wolter

The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• California Almonds Youtube Channel
• Email address for pest ID cards
• Crop Protection Tips

ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

In the last two decades, pollination costs have increased dramatically for almond growers. On average now, about 15-20% of the total costs of producing almonds is just in pollination alone. This has been driven by supply and demand, but where will things go from here? 

We talk pollination with almond grower Dan Cummings on today’s episode of the Almond Journey Podcast. Dan has managed thousands of acres and is a previous owner in a large honey bee industry. He is the chairman of the board of Blue Diamond Growers and has also served on the board of directors for the Almond Board of California, an advisory board member for ec2ce an agriculture predictive analytics company based in Spain and on the board of directors for a farming company based in Wheatland. Not to mention, Dan is also a 3rd generation almond grower and for him farming was always what he wanted to do with his life. 

“Beekeeping is tough. Being a successful beekeeper is really a tough job and requires a lot of skill and a lot of attention. I have the greatest admiration for beekeepers. I guess the only advice I'd offer is the better collaboration you can have between almond growers and beekeepers, the better the communication, the more successful both enterprises will be.” - Dan Cummings

The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Honey Bee Best Management Practices For California Almond Growers
• Pollination Resources
• Bee+ Scholarship to promote bee friendly farming practices
• Bee Friendly Farming Program and Certification

ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

Welcome to the Almond Journey Podcast, brought to you by The Almond Board of California. On this show we explore how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward.

Hearing the voices of these industry leaders might spark a connection or idea you can use in your own journey. That’s why we want to feature these stories of innovation, resilience, and community on this podcast. 

We hope you’ll come along for the ride by subscribing to this show on your podcast platform of choice, and pass it along to others in the industry, so we can all share in this almond journey together.

ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.