Market trends

Joanna Clifton of Innova Market Insights, which monitors consumer trends, says that the number of new organic products launched globally that contain almonds increased from 5 percent of all global organic product launches in 2011 to 13 percent in 2015, and consumers continue to increase their consumption of organically-grown products.

Clifton says “clear” labeling, which emphasizes labeling transparency along with minimally processed, natural, and fewer ingredients, is the fastest growing consumer trend today. Retailers continue to add organic lines to their private label portfolios. In the United States, one in five organic products launched in 2015 contained almonds.

During the presentation, handlers noted that while there is no set premium for organic almond returns, almond growers can expect to realize premiums up to two times the conventional price.

But University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor Dr. Franz Niederholzer for Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba counties, said growers need to understand the risks and potential limitations of growing organic in their operation before making long-term decisions about either converting conventional orchards or planting new almonds to certify organic.

Organic production field day

Niederholzer has organized an organic almond production field day for May 19 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle (Colusa County). This meeting will follow the annual Nickels Soil Lab Field Day, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the same day.

The organic field meeting follows presentations on a number of ongoing research projects at Nickels, a barbecue lunch, and a demonstration of whole-tree incorporation. It will be held in the Nickels organic-vs.-conventional demonstration orchard planted in 2006, and will feature presentations by UC farm advisors and private industry representatives.

Hurdles growers may face when it comes to growing organic almonds, according to Niederholzer, include production costs that are often double the cost of conventional farming, largely to manage weeds and nutrients, and a limited toolbox, especially for addressing pests or other problems that develop in the orchard.