Market Reports

California continues to receive rain and snow which is great for all the western states. We have had storms pass through one after the other with more coming this week and next week. Could this be the winter we so badly need to bust the three-year drought?

With this being the first official week of winter, it sounds like it will be a doozy as the “Arctic Bomb” brings extreme low temperatures to the Midwest and upper eastern states affecting as many as 90 million people. They are saying that the temperature can drop by 30 degrees within minutes! We’ve seen cold temperatures this week, but no rain in sight until possibly next week...

The November shipping report was released on December 13 by the Almond Board of California. Only 493 million pounds were received for the month bringing the total year to date to 2.15 billion pounds, which is -7.00% behind total receipts of a year ago. The objective estimate of 2.60 billion pounds is still very much in focus...

California welcomed a storm over the weekend, including a significant amount of snow, with totals currently 175% to normal with a base of over 102” in some areas. Some light showers are expected over the next 24 hours on and off through-out the north region of the state. It is a good start, but so much more will be needed...

We saw minimal rain last week, as it vanished as quick as it appeared. The extended forecast shows nothing in the immediate future. We are expecting cooler temperatures for the next 10 days with lows down to 32 degrees in the morning and highs of 65 during the afternoons. Unfortunately, this has become more of the norm in the last few years than the exception...

We saw minimal rain last week, as it vanished as quick as it appeared. The extended forecast shows nothing in the immediate future. We are expecting cooler temperatures for the next 10 days with lows down to 32 degrees in the morning and highs of 65 during the afternoons. Unfortunately, this has become more of the norm in the last few years than the exception...

The California weather continued to exhibit more rainfall this week along with additional snowfall in the Sierras. While it has been a welcome sight, we need a dozen more storms just like this to combat the drought. We have received 3” of rainfall thus far, which remains below the 6” average for the month. Unfortunately, there is no rain forecasted for the next 10 days...

Winter officially arrived in California. A strong winter storm moved through the state and dropped over 6” of fresh snow in the Sierras and is expected to continue throughout next week. Another chance of rain is forecasted for the weekend and into next week, which has the potential to help the California water supply and the trees recover from the drought...

We saw temperatures drop to the low 40’s to high 60’s this week. While no measurable rain has come, we did see snow up in the high Sierra’s. Nevertheless, rain remains out of the forecast for the next 10 days. Growers have done as much post-harvest irrigation as their water supply will allow (a very important procedure due to stressed trees) and now with winter on the way, the health of the trees will be left up to mother nature. 

California weather continues to remind us we are very much experiencing drought-like conditions. We have enjoyed an extended summer this October as temperatures are hitting the low 90’s this week. However, a cooling trend with expected temperatures in the low 70’s is forecasted for next week...

The almond harvest is quickly coming to a close. Most growers have completed their harvests, except for those impacted by the rain event we experience three weeks ago. While we are on the subject of rain, the extended forecast shows nothing in our future. October is typically a dry month, despite last year’s two atmospheric rivers that came through...

The almond harvest continues this week as we get closer to some of the final varieties being picked up off the orchard floor and will soon be on their way to the huller/sheller’s for the first stages of processing, whereby field runs are converted into inshell or almond kernels...

After a five- or six-day delay in harvest due to the rain events that moved through California last week, harvest is now back in full swing. Crop receipts have been slow to arrive as huller/shellers appear to be backed up. October will be action packed as a result...

The cooler weather along with extensive cloud cover was notable and helped with several of the current forest fires we have burning in Northern California—primarily the Mosquito Fire. The extended forecast over the next ten days calls for dry, sunny weather with temperatures in the mid-80’s to low 90’s. 

With over 10 days of temperatures reaching as high as 115 degrees in many areas of the state, we finally had a break in the weather over the weekend. Temperatures are back to the normal mid-80’s to low-90’s for this time of year. Some areas even experienced trace amounts of rainfall this week, and while it was nothing too substantial, it was nice to see something falling from the sky other than ash...

California continues to experience one of the most extreme heat waves this September, having already set over 20 new records. We have had nine days in a row exceeding 104 degrees or higher, with the peak of 116 degrees in the valley this week...

Yes, the earth is dry. It does not matter what time of the day the harvest is being conducted, large dust clouds loom over the orchards. The industry restricts harvesting for this very reason to early mornings and usually concluding the day’s work by noon or the hottest time of the day...

California continues to have an extended heatwave with temperatues throughout the growing regions in the mid-90's in the north to mid-100's in the south. No precipitation is expected in the 10-day forecast, as the harvest is fully under way in all regions now...

We have had an ongoing heat wave over the last seven days. The forecast calls for more of the same with 105+ degree temperatures continuing through next week as well. Last Friday the Almond Board of California released the July position report which reflects the final shipping month of the 2021/2022 crop year...

The Almond harvest is slowly underway. The most stressed areas are being harvested first and sent to the huller/sheller’s for initial processing. We have seen the nonpareil variety start to trickle in, as we received some of our first loads early last week. In comparison to last year, the crop appears to be running a little later than what we expected. Regardless, we will continue to see harvest gain steam over the next week or so.

Weather this week in California was a little unpredictable with scattered showers on Monday in some areas of the valley. Nonetheless, it was insignificant as temperatures have remained in the mid 90’s-100's in much of the growing area.  While in some areas the harvest has just begun, some are still irrigating their trees prior to harvest, if they have the water to do it...

Harvest has officially begun. Driving through the southland on Saturday, one could see shaking going on throughout much of the drive. It will only continue to ramp up from here as the rest of the state will also start to get very busy. In the meantime, weather in California remains very hot and dry...

With only a few more days until the first harvests, we see plenty of hull splits on the trees as we walk the orchards. Growers are finishing the last of their preparations for the orchard and equipment. In some of the orchards that show the most stress, harvest may have started this week. Slow at the start, a continuous build-up of more harvesting activity will continue to escalate into the full harvest in August...

California continues to head into the heat of summer with triple digit temperatures throughout much of the growing areas. We are expecting this to remain through the extended 10 day forecast. Growers are monitoring their irrigation practices and will be applying accordingly one last time prior to their harvest, depending on location. Harvest will be starting any day now in the lower region, but truly kicking in within the next two to three weeks throughout the rest of the state...

Happy Objective Estimate!  

In the midst of the summer heat, the objective estimate was released by NASS. 

California's 2022 almond production is forecast at 2.60 billion meat pounds, down 7% from May's subjective forecast and 11% lower than last year's crop of 2.92 billion meat pounds...

Happy Fourth of July! 

Summer heat hit hard this week with triple digit temperatures up and down the state. This has put a great deal of pressure on growers to step up irrigation to keep the trees from stressing, while keeping in mind the limited resources available. This is a very important time for the growing season with another month to go before harvest..

Currently, we are experiencing triple digit temperatures with no chance of relief or cooling for the next five days. With these types of temperatures, harvest could come a little sooner. With the last three position reports having been as strong as they were, the industry has done a nice job putting a dent in the remaining supply...

Our California weather just doesn’t know what it wants to do. Temperatures dropped down to 50 degrees late in the week and the expected high today is 74 in the mid-valley; 20 degrees below the norm for this time of the year...

We are right back to the hot summer weather we would expect for this time of the year. In fact, a high of 105 degrees is forecasted today throughout the valley and growing areas. Irrigation is vital in conditions such as this and growers will be busy making sure their trees are well fed...

It should not go understated as to how dry our state is and the conditions for which all growers of all types will face through the summer and moving forward. No one is taking anything for granted, and while we may have an estimate for a 2.8-billion-pound crop coming, most will remain cautious as to what eventually will be harvested...

California had some scorching hot weather this week with 103 degrees reached in the central valley.  It appears we made it through the hottest days however and are heading to low 80’s just in time for Memorial Day!   The snowpack is disappearing quickly as we are down to 10% to normal for this time of the year.  Interestingly, the state had asked for its citizens to volunteer to use -25% less water, and yet water consumption has increased 35%...

We have moved closer to summer temperatures this week with highs of 98 degrees throughout the valley floor.  Hotter temperatures are in our near future as we will see triple digits early next week.  The drought continues and with precipitation only 50% to normal for California this year, it will be al long hot, dry summer.  Our snowpack now stands at 18% to normal (where California gets over 35% of its water)...

The exciting news for the week however is the release of Almond Board of California’s April position report. The industry shipped 245 million pounds of almonds in April, which marks the second month in a row beating expectations. With three months remaining for the current crop year, the industry may be on track to bring the carry-out down from earlier estimates of 950 million pounds to a very conceivable and more manageable 860 million pounds...

March’s position report was positively received by the industry, in fact, March was the largest shipment month of the year at 245 million pounds. Although this year was significantly short of last March’s (2021) 267 million pounds, in the face of all the logistics issues plaguing the globe, it was a reminder that the demand for almonds remains strong...

April turned out to be the wettest month we’ve had this year. In fact, there was more rain and snowfall in April than we had the first three months of the year combined. Despite April’s last-ditch effort to overcome an otherwise lackluster wet season, the snowpack remains only at 38% of its annual average. Of the state’s more than 1,500 reservoirs, 50% are lower than they should be for this time of the year...

April showers bring May flowers! We continue to have on and off rain this week.While these are not large atmospheric rivers, we know that when in a drought everylittle drop will have a positive effect. Last week the Sierra’s received 12” to 18” ofsnow throughout the northern areas...

Last week we saw unseasonably hot weather, although it only stuck around for a short period of time. This week it feels like February again, and although we did not have any rain in February this year, we did have some rain come through the area on Monday and more is expected by the end of the week. While it may not be a substantial amount of rain, every drop helps! Just the cooler temperatures are something to be grateful for, as they help stretch out water usage. Nobody is ready for 95 degrees yet, especially the orchards...

We are experiencing unseasonably warm weather this week in the California growing region. Temperatures will hit over 95 degrees today and continue through the weekend. This heat wave is over 20 degrees warmer than typical temperatures for this time of year. With an already low snowpack in the Sierra’s, the high temperatures will expedite the snow melting, with it all but gone in the next 30 to 60 days...

The Monday rainstorm that rolled through the growing regions, sprawling from North to South, produced up to half-an-inch of rain. With hail reported in some areas, we did see a decent amount of wind, which helped to dry the leaves, reducing the chance of rust and other possible damage. By this weekend, however, we’ll begin to see temperatures rise, and possibly reach a predicted 90 degrees by the end of next week. The adage of “April showers bring May flowers” does not apply to California weather...

Why have spring when you can go straight to summer? This week we have already hit over 89 degrees in many areas of the valley. It appears to be cooling off next week, but the fluctuation in temperatures speaks to the changing climate conditions we continue to experience in the west and a harbinger of things to come.

This week, California saw some rain, albeit short-lived and unfortunately not enough to move the needle in terms of relieving us from drought conditions. Another storm is expected for Saturday and is anticipated to bring additional moisture to the area. Keeping fingers crossed!

Our dry California weather continues as we begin to experience spring-like conditions. We will see low 70-degree temperatures throughout the valley for the next 10 days with a chance of rain coming early next week. Each day the Sierra snowpack loses ground over the previous month and is now roughly 60% overall to normal...

Following last week’s unexpected cold snap and freezing temperatures in the early mornings, many growers have pulled off the market this week to assess what damage, if any, occurred to their orchards. It should be noted the freeze occurred to the northern and north-central areas of the growing region, while most of the crop is grown in the southern part of the state...

Unsettled weather made its way into California this week. We saw the coldest temperatures thus far, with some of the growing areas dipping into the low 20's. There was also widespread, fast-paced moving rain and hail events that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the valley...

We are now officially into bloom.  The trees have really exploded and are loving the warm 70+ degree weather during the daytime with plenty of sun to boost. It is not going out on a limb to say it is “ideal bloom weather.”  Beehives can be found throughout the orchard floors, providing plenty of work for the bees as the bloom happened rather quickly...

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! California continues to have spring-like conditions with temperatures in the 70's up and down the state. January was on record as one of the driest months in history with no measurable rain or snow...

As previously reported, January was one of the driest months on record, with no significant rain or snow after a wonderful December. Forecast in the valley is for continued sunshine through the next 10 days with temps in the high 60’s and low 70’s. This aligns perfectly for the bloom which typically starts the second week of February...

January has all but come and gone. This month will go on record as one of the driest January’s in recent history, with virtually no rain or snow for the month. With the Almond Bloom just around the corner, the extended forecast is calling for a dry beginning to February as well...

California weather remains a mystery.  Despite a great December, weather-wise, there were high hopes for continued rain and snow.  Unfortunately, hope is not something we can plan on, as the extended forecast for the next ten days does not include either of the two.  It appears we received our anticipated January snow earlier in December...

January seems to be flying by as always. While we had an amazing December filled with rain in the valley and snow in the Sierra’s, January has been dry thus far, with no rain or snow forecasted for the next ten days...

Happy New Year to everyone.  We had a great December in California from the standpoint of winter.  Our snowpack now stands at 160% of normal.  It has been an early winter with 116” of snow falling in the last two weeks in some areas of the Sierras...  

The cashew market is seeing a decrease in kernel demand and an increase in RCN demand. Currently, the most active kernel buyers are Middle East and India markets. Strong Indian domestic kernel demand has enabled Indian processors to pay up for West African inshells, and therefore contributing to an increased inshell pricing...

On Inshells: Northern Hemisphere, 2022 crops:
West Africa crops are starting to enter across the region. From a size perspective, crops look to be in line with last year, and in some regions slightly better. To determine the final quality, we will need to wait a few more months...

With the inshell crop season coming to an end in the Southern Hemisphere, we expect crop sizes to be +/- 5-10% larger versus last year in Tanzania, while Indonesia's new crop arrivals in November in look to be weak compared to last year. In the northern hemisphere, forecasted heavy rains may impact growing in Vietnam and Cambodia, while WAF and India can expect a similar growth year.  In regards to Kernels, prices are historically low, and the consumption and demand is signaling to pick-up again...

The first shipment month of the 2022 crop season is officially under way. The California walnut industry is off to a decent start, with both shipments and commitments slightly higher than last year. Strong commitments are necessary, as the industry is focused on an improved start compared to last year...

The 2021 crop year finished strong with record shipments in August of 36,546 tons, beating the previous record for August by 11%. The strong shipments in August could be an effect of the lag experienced in July, due to protests at the port. Exports, the biggest driver, were up 52%. For reference, exports were down 23% in July. Preliminary 2021 crop carryout stands at 136,673 tons, pending an expected minor adjustment by the USDA in the coming months. The carryout matches our forecast provided last month...

April shipments were a significant improvement over the last six months, with shipments being up versus last year for the first time since September, and up double digits at 10.1%. This is certainly another step in the right direction as the industry continues to chip away at the carry out number, with our current carry out projection being around 125k tons. It is worth noting that 97.5% of the 2021 crop and 85.8% of total supply is already sold...

April shipments were a significant improvement over the last six months, with shipments being up versus last year for the first time since September, and up double digits at 10.1%. This is certainly another step in the right direction as the industry continues to chip away at the carry out number, with our current carry out projection being around 125k tons. It is worth noting that 97.5% of the 2021 crop and 85.8% of total supply is already sold...

May shipments continued the positive shipment trend with an all-time record set for May shipments at 57,748 tons. This is 29% higher than the previous record for May of 44,478 tons, set last year. This is undoubtedly a large step in the right direction, and has lowered our carryout projection to roughly 120k tons...

April shipments were a significant improvement over the last six months, with shipments being up versus last year for the first time since September, and up double digits at 10.1%. This is certainly another step in the right direction as the industry continues to chip away at the carry out number, with our current carry out projection being around 125k tons. It is worth noting that 97.5% of the 2021 crop and 85.8% of total supply is already sold...

While March shipments were technically down 1% versus last year, the California walnut industry continues to take large steps in the right direction. March (2021) was an outlier and was 21% larger than any other March in history; this March (2022) was basically flat to last. YTD shipments continue to improve, originally down 22.4% at the end of December to down only 15.8% at the end of March. Sales for the month of 81,553 tons are also considerably higher than each of the last three months and the largest we have seen since November...

The 2022 crop harvest is all but over. The most recent Administrative Committee for Pistachios (ACP) inventory report shows the current crop receipts at 864 million pounds. An updated report will be released in the coming weeks and should reflect the final crop size, which is expected to be roughly 875 million pounds...

The final shipment report of the 2021 crop year was released by the ACP last week. The 2021 crop carryout stands at 354 million pounds, which is an increase in 70 million pounds (or 25%) compared to last year’s carry over of 284 million pounds. The carryout is down considerably from the originally anticipated 450+ million pounds earlier this year. However, it is important to note that some volumes have been shipped unsold overseas to destination markets...

The 2022 pistachio harvest began in California with the earliest fields a few weeks ago and is now in full swing. Record heat is forecasted for the Central Valley over the next couple of weeks, which will help to accelerate the harvest. At this point in time, industry sentiment varies widely on the size of the 2022 crop, from sub-1.0 billion pounds to high estimates of 1.2 billion pounds...

In California, nut fill results have started to come in and results are promising for the 2022 crop development. Up and down the state, nut fill looks to be right in line with a normal year. As a result, most industry expectations for the 2022 crop are now between 1.0-1.2 billion pounds. The consensus is that we are likely looking at a crop similar to last year’s 1.16 billion pounds, or slightly short of this...

While the market has slowed down the last couple of weeks, pistachio pricing remains stable for both current and new crop. Both buyers and sellers seem content to wait for additional outlook for the 2022 California crop development. Also, it seems that most packers are fully sold for 2021 crops, as they cannot fit anymore into the production schedules, due largely to shipping constraints...

The pistachio market remains firm, driven by continued strong demand from export markets and limited selling support. At the INC Conference in Dubai, it was revealed that both U.S. and Iran are expecting smaller crops than last year. This announcement, combined with most Independent U.S. sellers being very well sold on 2021 crop, has led to a sharp price increase over recent weeks...

The March shipment report was very strong as pistachios continue to outperform the other California tree nuts on shipments. March shipments were up a total of 35.9%, while total domestic was up 24.7% and total exports up 43.3%. YTD shipments are now up 9.9% versus last year with domestic up 12%, and exports up 8.9%...

Our trusted and experienced Product Line Managers provide the most recent market updates and insights as to what lies ahead for almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts and walnuts...

Demand for inshells was sluggish during October. Driven by lower kernel activity, many smaller processors have shut down their production facilities, resulting from significant disparity between inshell and kernel prices, forcing processors to sell at a direct loss each of their kernel load...

Northern hemisphere crops are essentially over, and all eyes are on southern hemisphere crops, which are driven mainly by Tanzania, Indonesia, and Brazil. Tanzania starts the first of September and official opening is on SeptembFor southern hemisphere 2022 crops, Brazil seems to have a smaller crop than expected and will likely reach 100K-125K mt. In Tanzania, inshell collections will start by the beginning of October, with first auctions likely to happen in the third week of October...

Northern hemisphere crops are essentially over, and all eyes are on southern hemisphere crops, which are driven mainly by Tanzania, Indonesia, and Brazil. Tanzania starts the first of September and official opening is on September 8...

In West Africa, harvest is complete and the final crop numbers look similar to last year. We can expect another 50-60 mt from the Guinea Bissau crop. Some countries like Nigeria had 30% lower crop due to weather events. Ivory Coast, fortunately, did not have any crop issues...

In West Africa, the remaining flows are only those from Benin and Guinea Bissau. About one-third of Benin crops are expected to arrive, but quality has been extremely low with out-turn not coming beyond 43/44 pounds. Half of the Guinea Bissau crops have arrived and the remaining half are expected in the next three to four weeks. The out-turn remains with 52+ pounds high and priced accordingly...

Regarding inshells, West-Africa harvest is essentially complete, with only Benin and Guinea Bissau crops continuing to drip in. Overall yield is in line with last year. Some areas had been severely impacted by rainfall during harvest season, but thankfully Ivory Coast harvest closed these gaps. Regarding quality, we foresee this season to be poor, as quality dropped much faster than in earlier seasons. Shipping challenges remain as majority of the ports have ongoing congestions and there are shortages in availability of food grade containers...

The intercontinental identity crisis within the cashew industry is complete.

Inshell prices remain firm and continue to increase on a daily basis. High demand by exporters and the ongoing demand of Asian processors are responsible for this. The Indian domestic inshell demand looks like an endless pit these days...

The cashew market is seeing a decrease in kernel demand and an increase in RCN demand. Currently, the most active kernel buyers are Middle East and India markets. Strong Indian domestic kernel demand has enabled Indian processors to pay up for West African inshells, and therefore contributing to an increased inshell pricing...

On Inshells: Northern Hemisphere, 2022 crops:

West Africa crops are starting to enter across the region. From a size perspective, crops look to be in line with last year, and in some regions slightly better. To determine the final quality, we will need to wait a few more months...

On inshells: Southern Hemisphere, 2021 crops: Ongoing delays continue in Tanzania and Mozambique due to container/vessel constraints. In both countries, entire crop is committed either for exports or local producers...