Almond Living Magazine

Employee Q&A: Bob Curtis, Director of Agricultural Affairs

In our ABC Q&A series, we bring you brief interviews with some of the minds driving innovation at the Almond Board of California. We speak to a wide variety of folks who work here at the Almond Board, exploring topics from research, to conservation, to favorite almond recipes. Today we are featuring an interview with Bob Curtis, who is retiring...

Going High Tech for Water Saving

The California almond community is committed to the responsible and efficient use of water. Improvements in production practices and water-saving technologies have helped almond farmers reduce the amount of water it takes to grow a pound of almonds by 33 percent over the past 20 years. 1 Decades of Almond Board-funded water research and innovation has led to impactful on-farm...

Irrigation Innovations Help Farmers Take Care of the Land and its Resources

Almond Board of California is celebrating its community by running occasional features on farmers, processors, and others who support the industry, highlighting their commitment to sustainability. 1 According to the most recent USDA Agricultural Census, there are around 6,800 California Almond farms, 2 many owned and operated by third- and fourth-generation farmers who live on the land and plan to...

Beat the Heat with Almond Summertime Treats

While the summertime temperatures in California’s almond growing region often reach the high nineties and even into the hundreds, almond trees thrive in the warm California sun. Perfectly suited to the state’s Mediterranean climate, California produces over 80 percent of the world’s almonds each year. This California almond community is driven by family farmers and processors. In fact, of California’s...

Can Native Bees Help Pollinate Almonds?

While honey bees have always been the star of the show for almond pollination, we know other pollinators play important roles in our food supply. So as we continue celebrating National Pollinator Week, we’re highlighting a native bee that may someday join in pollinating almonds. Early research suggests that integrating blue orchard bees (BOBs) may improve pollination efficiency, reduce cost...

National Pollinator Week: Celebrating the Humble Honey Bee

National Pollinator Week is here! It is a time to celebrate pollinators, the diverse diets they support, and spread the word about how we can protect them. Without pollinators, like the honey bee, we wouldn’t have almonds. In fact, 35 percent of the world’s food crops rely on pollinators to some degree. From apples and cherries to sunflowers and citrus...