In today’s episode, independent PCA and crop consultant, Justin Nay, shares advice and experience for your almond orchard’s integrated pest management program. Justin’s company, Integral Ag Incorporated was formed in 2008. Before that Justin earned his Ph.D. in entomology from UC Riverside, where he worked with the carob moth, a cousin to the almond industry’s biggest pest: the navel orangeworm. Justin walks us through a year of pest management in almond orchards beginning with winter sanitation, followed by monitoring during the growing season and finishing with harvest sampling. He has so much knowledge to share as a scientist, business owner, and PCA with many years of almond experience. 

“We can come up with a population estimate as well as when that population is going to emerge in the field based on the size and the ages of the larvae…And that sets our baseline… Does the farmer have 20 navel orangeworm females per acre or does he have 200 and that's going to set what mitigation we're going to be dealing with for the rest of the season.” - Justin Nay

In Today’s episode: 

• Meet Justin Nay, independent PCA and crop consultant with Integral Ag Incorporated
• Explore the different practices Justin employs to manage navel orangeworm and what producers can do to be most effective
• Discover the best times and sampling methods for monitoring population levels

“In doing (harvest sampling), we can determine not only how well we did with our program for the season, but we also get to see all the different types of damage that occur…So it allows us to really see firsthand how we did with our pest management for the season. It's probably the most important thing I think that we do.” - Justin Nay

Contact the Almond Board field outreach team to access more available resources by sending an email to [email protected] 

ABC Update

Advancements in integrated pest management are really an important part of ensuring growers can grow almonds profitably while meeting the highest quality standards. Almond Board Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Josette Lewis says IPM is as much about cost effectiveness as it is about pest control.

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.