As almond harvest gets closer to wrapping up, farmers and processors are starting to see the impacts of navel orangeworm, which has been a major problem for farmers this year.
The pest, which feeds on fruits and nuts, is fairly common in southern regions of the state, but it’s usually less widespread in the north. Not this year. Four generations, or lifecycles, of navel orangeworm have already hit orchards up here – that’s a full lifecycle more than usual.
Todd Meyer, sales representative for the nut processing business Western Nut Company, said he’s been seeing nuts coming in from all over the state that have been devastated by the pest. He said it’s creating a lot of unsellable almonds.
“You’re taking 1 percent of their product and now it’s no longer a viable, close to a $5 return back to the grower on those pounds. That’s a significant amount of money,” Meyer said.
With harvest still underway, it’s hard to predict the exact impact navel orangeworm will have on this year’s profits. But it’s likely to add to other issues.
While prices have remained especially high for almonds – according to the Almond Board of California almonds averaged a $3.50 a pound last year – the drought has increased farming costs and lowered crop size and quality, which has shrunk net profits for some farmers.
David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor of Pomology for Merced County, said as the drought continues so does a decrease in the weight of almonds being produced in the state. He said the crop is currently down about 30 percent of its normal production capacity.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service has forecast this year’s crop to be 1.8 billion pounds – that’s down 4 percent from last year and does not take into account almonds destroyed by navel orangeworm.
