Almond Journey

Nav Athwal joined the Journey to share his perspective on growing a farming business amid tough economic conditions. Athwal is the president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures. After growing up on the family farm, he became a real estate and land use attorney and then a technology entrepreneur. Seven years ago, he returned to the family farm to help with operations and growth. In today’s episode, Athwal discusses how he’s navigating the economic headwinds almonds are currently facing, why he remains focused on the long-term outlook, and what he calls intelligent growth. 

“There were two goals I had. One is, how do we bring more operational excellence, both at the field level, but also in the back office? And how do we grow intelligently to take advantage of economies of scale?” - Nav Athwal

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Nav Athwal, president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures
• Discover Athwal’s journey starting on the family farm, navigating outside of agriculture and then returning
• Explore Athwal’s smart growth philosophy and how they educate and include investors in their operations

The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible 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.

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.

Highlights from July's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California begins with the ABC annual industry delegation's recent visit to Washington, DC, where almond growers and handlers engaged with key government and legislative offices.

In addition, learn about the Ag Export Finance/Insurance Webinar held on June 11. This webinar introduced various tools to manage export trade risk and trade credit insurance alternatives. The discussion also touched on the ongoing efforts to digitalize trade documentation, which could result in substantial cost savings. Lastly, July's Almond Byte includes the potential implications of the recent European Parliament election results.

Joe Palomino is a Clovis-based agronomist and Certified Crop Consultant (CCA) who works for Axiom Agriculture. His work focuses primarily on crop fertility and soil health, but he also does some irrigation consulting as well. On today’s episode, Palomino shares how he ended up in agronomy without an agricultural background, his thoughts on finding nutrient balance in the orchard, his experience in the Almond Leadership Program, and what has sparked such a passion in him for the agriculture industry.

“When we start talking about precision plant nutrition, it's keeping the plant in balance. I like to keep the nutrient bank full and in balance and not let the presence or lack of one nutrient inhibit the availability of another.” - Joe Palomino

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Joe Palomino, the Clovis-based agronomist and CCA
• Discover Palomino's background and journey to becoming an agronomist
• Explore strategies for soil health, crop fertility, and irrigation needs

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.

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.

California almonds are taking the Indian market by storm with a new advertising campaign aimed at younger consumers. The Almond Board of California's innovative ads blend humor with health benefits, encouraging Indians to snack on almonds beyond their traditional morning routine. Hear about the market dynamics, ideas behind the new advertisements, and future marketing tactics and plans from ABC's India Marketing lead Sudarshan Masumdar.

Almond grower and Almond Board of California (ABC) Director Christine Gemperle joined the Journey again, this time to discuss groundwater recharge, crimping cover crops, and continuing her efforts to build soil health in her orchards. Gemperle also provides an update about her work on the almond board and the trip this past year to meet with growers around the state to introduce new CEO Clarice Turner.

“We could really turn around our groundwater situation by using ag lands.” - Christine Gemperle, commenting on practicing groundwater recharge where feasible.

In Today’s episode:

• Discover Christine Gemperle’s experiences with groundwater recharge
• Hear about why Gemperle decided to modify her own roller crimper to manage cover crops
• Understand more about what’s happening at the Board level at the Almond Board of California.

ABC Update:

Apply to receive up to $2,500 in cover crop seed from the Seeds for Bees program. ABC’s Taylor Hillman discusses the details with Stetcyn Maldonado of Project Apis m. Learn more about the program and apply on the Project Apis m website.

The Almond Journey Podcast is made possible 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.

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.

Discover how the Almond Board of California is helping to grow markets globally with key updates from recent trips by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. From insightful participation in the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council Congress to engaging discussions at the AgTC Annual Conference, the team continues to address opportunities and challenges alike. Learn about Maximum Residue Level discussions from the CCPR meeting in China and the strategic European market visits led by ABC's CEO Clarice Turner.

Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California and chief government affairs officer at Blue Diamond Growers, joined the Journey to share her perspective on stewardship and advocacy for the almond industry. Rockwell discusses lessons from her work at Blue Diamond and Save Mart Supermarkets, the critical role California Almond Stewardship Program (CASP) self-assessments have played in reputation management, how almonds are leading the way in terms of stewardship, and the importance of engagement and advocacy on behalf of the industry.

“The reason that this industry was able to protect its reputation and get out from under the water criticisms was because of those growers that in those early stages, went and did the CASP self-assessment.” - Alicia Rockwell

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California Board of Directors and the Chief Government Affairs Officer at Blue Diamond Growers
• Explore Rockwell’s journey from the urban bay area to becoming an advocate for both producers and consumers alike
• Discover the thoughtful approach the almond industry has taken and continues to utilize to stay current with consumer trends and policy change

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.

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 recent months, the ABC Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team has been helping to expand global markets by meeting with key players in India, Turkey and Pakistan, and creating opportunities for the industry through both market promotional proposals. Hear the details from the trips and efforts, and about an upcoming webinar to help exporters grow and secure their sales.

Tree planting is a tremendous investment. The details of how to plant an orchard properly can have a big impact on the bottom line. In today’s episode, Dr. Brent Holtz explains the reasons that he regularly receives calls from growers about their young trees dying. These problems led Holtz to work with the Almond Board of California to create a video in both English and Spanish to highlight the most important planting considerations for both farmers and farm laborers. Holtz has been a farm advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension for about 30 years. He serves as the orchard systems and pomology advisor for San Joaquin County. In addition to tree planting, Holtz discusses some of the latest updates in his many years of work in whole orchard recycling, and why he sees a need to add a tree pruning educational video in the future.

“Young tree death is probably one of the highest situations that I'm called out to as a farm advisor throughout my career. Talking to the almond board folks, that was a message that wasn't getting out and that's what led to the discussion that we need a video.” - Dr. Brent Holtz

In Today’s episode:

● Meet Dr. Brent Holtz, a farm advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension for about 30 years

● Explore the value offered in the new video highlighting the biggest concerns and issues related to tree planting

● Learn the latest nitrogen consideration if you are replanting trees after whole orchard recycling

The Spanish version of the tree planting video will be available later this year and both videos can be found on the Almond Board of California YouTube page under the California Almond Growers Education playlist.

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.

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.

Effective integrated pest management (IPM) programs for almond pests, especially for navel orangeworm, are not a one-size-fits-all situation and Thomas Martin says especially during these challenging economic times. Martin, a chemist by training and a regional technical representative for Trécé, was a participant in the Almond Leadership Program last year and his project involved analyzing the return on investment (ROI) of various integrated pest management strategies. This project received a lot of interest at The Almond Conference and Martin has since developed a free online tool to calculate the ROI of various IPM practices for navel orangeworm. The website is easy to use and can be personalized to fit individual orchard situations.

“We've got some great research done by UC and USDA that shows the benefit of these IPM techniques, but all that research is done in terms of reduction of damage, not in terms of dollars and cents.” - Thomas Martin

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Thomas Martin, regional technical representative at Trécé and recent Almond Leadership Program graduate
• Understand the economic impact of integrated pest management practices
• Explore the process in developing this tool

Access the IPM Return on Investment Calculator at NOWcalc.com

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.

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.