Nut News

After the hive of activity from the visually intense almond harvest and clouds of dust settle, the work to bring almonds to market is just beginning. We pull the curtain back and discuss the 'out of sight' happenings with Select Harvest COO Sheryl Wheeler. Come learn what it takes to make an almond.

Miles Dakin from the Pollinator Partnership joins to discuss the importance of protecting pollinators and the efforts his organization is taking to do so. One such program is Bee Friendly Farming and we'll touch on what this program means, it's impacts and how growers may already be taking steps in becoming bee friendly. It's all about bees and butterflies (...and insects, flies, moths, birds bats...); oh, and ALMONDS!

As much of the world shifts to treating Covid-19 as endemic, many people return to the office and students wrap up an in-person school year how has the upheaval of the past few years changed consumer preferences in the snacking category? VP of Retail Sales & Business Development, Bryn Garcia, joins to dive into the consumer behavior landscape as we try and make sense of the current landscape.

CEO Bob Nunes joins as we discuss the recent 2.8 billion pound subjective forecast, crop conditions, logistic issues, market movers and so much more. It's all about the current state of California Almonds.

Still young into her tenure, President and CEO of the Almond Alliance, Aubrey Bettencourt, joins NutNews to discuss the role that the Almond Alliance plays in advocating for our industry. Aubrey shares the Alliance's current focus areas and shares her vision for the future under her leadership. This is a must listen if you're curious as to how policy, regulations and politics impacts our diverse industry and what the Almond Alliance can do to help.

We continue our exploration of turning almond shells into compost. Having discussed what lead us down the compost path and the process of creating compost from waste shells, we dig into (pun intended) the most convincing reasons why we make compost: all the benefits it provides our soil and trees. Join us for the second half of the podcast all about compost.

When a hulling and shelling operation leaves you with a literal mountain of almond shells without commercial value, what are you suppose to do with it? Guest Brian Bly, Director of Farm Operations at Hart Farms, lends us his expertise and helps break down (pun intended) the why's and how's of making compost and the vast and unexpected benefits it can have in orchards. Join us for this two part investigation into 'black gold.'

Everyone knows that almonds are pollinated with honey bees right? Well what if I told you that for the past 5 years we've been using both honey bees and mason bees? What the heck is a mason bee anyways and why would we bother? Guest Jim Watts from Watts Solitary Bees joins us to provide some insight to the fascinating world of solitary bees in almond orchards.

CEO Bob Nunes returns to the show to survey harvest conditions, talk drought impacts and forecast where the California almond market heads next. Plus find out if host Alan Burwell can make amends for his editing mistake in August's market update or if he just makes it worse. Don't miss this fun, yet engaging discussion on almonds.

Part two in our discussion on water use in our farms continues. Hart Farms General Manager Darin Titus walks us through the importance of validation, maintenance and we also touch on soil health and nutrient management as they all tie in to water use and our efforts to become even more efficient.

With California experiencing extreme drought conditions, Darin Titus, farm manager at Hart Farms, returns to discuss water conservation efforts in a two part series. We've come a long ways over the years and Darin helps put technology changes and management practices over the last several decades in context.

Salmonella is inherent to almonds, so why don't more people get sick? Quality Assurance Manager Jeri Sparks-Gonsalves stops by the show to help put modern food safety into perspective and explains why we just spent three full days participating in a food safety audit.

VP of Retail Sales Bryn Garcia joins in this episode of NutNews to dive into the world of consumer goods. The pandemic era has shaken things up and we'll discuss what stood out and where the retail world is heading next. Plus Christmas in May?

CEO Bob Nunes joins to discuss the current state of the California almond market. The March Position Report shows continued strong demand and the numbers are favorable for a strong end to the 2020 crop year. So what's in store for 2021? Bloom conditions were good, but drought concerns persist. Join us for a comprehensive look at California's almonds.

Sustainability happens at all levels of an almonds journey to the consumer, but what takes place on the farm is probably the most diverse and arguably the most impactful. In this first episode of what will be a multi-part exploration of sustainability, we meet Darin Titus, Operations Manager at Hart Farms. We review the close relationship Hart Farms has with Select Harvest and begin to discuss what sustainability means on the farm today.

Select Harvest CEO Robert Nunes joins host Alan Burwell, VP of Marketing and Innovation, to discuss the Almond Board's November Position Report and review current market conditions. Refreshingly candid, we dig in to some of the most pressing topics facing the almond Industry today for an unfiltered perspective from one of the leading handlers on California Almonds.