Joseph Jackson grew up in his family’s farming operation in the Visalia area. Upon deciding to downsize the family farming operation, Jackson took on an off-farm job as a Customer Success Director for Phytech. Jackson shares his perspective as someone who has implemented technology as a farmer, and someone who helps other farmers utilize technology. “As ag tech in general, we have made some amazing products, but these products need to be more affordable. They need to be more accessible. This is ...
Aug 13, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Listen to July's Marketing Bulletin as we dive into Keith Schneller's recent trip to Turkey, representing the Almond Board of California. Discover how this journey – spanning Istanbul to Antalya and Mersin – unveiled significant market opportunities for California almonds. Schneller's meetings with major almond processors, insights from the TUKSAID conference, and observations on the Turkish nut market's shift towards packaged products highlight the growth potential. Despite economic and regulat...
Jul 30, 2024•8 min
Nav Athwal joined the Journey to share his perspective on growing a farming business amid tough economic conditions. Athwal is the president of Tri-Nut Farms and president and managing member of Terra Ag Ventures. After growing up on the family farm, he became a real estate and land use attorney and then a technology entrepreneur. Seven years ago, he returned to the family farm to help with operations and growth. In today’s episode, Athwal discusses how he’s navigating the economic headwinds alm...
Jul 19, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Highlights from July's Global Update from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California begins with the ABC annual industry delegation's recent visit to Washington, DC, where almond growers and handlers engaged with key government and legislative offices. In addition, learn about the Ag Export Finance/Insurance Webinar held on June 11. This webinar introduced various tools to manage export trade risk and trade credit insurance alternatives. The discussion als...
Jul 16, 2024•5 min
Joe Palomino is a Clovis-based agronomist and Certified Crop Consultant (CCA) who works for Axiom Agriculture. His work focuses primarily on crop fertility and soil health, but he also does some irrigation consulting as well. On today’s episode, Palomino shares how he ended up in agronomy without an agricultural background, his thoughts on finding nutrient balance in the orchard, his experience in the Almond Leadership Program, and what has sparked such a passion in him for the agriculture indus...
Jul 09, 2024•28 min•Ep. 63
California almonds are taking the Indian market by storm with a new advertising campaign aimed at younger consumers. The Almond Board of California's innovative ads blend humor with health benefits, encouraging Indians to snack on almonds beyond their traditional morning routine. Hear about the market dynamics, ideas behind the new advertisements, and future marketing tactics and plans from ABC's India Marketing lead Sudarshan Masumdar.
Jun 27, 2024•6 min
Almond grower and Almond Board of California (ABC) Director Christine Gemperle joined the Journey again, this time to discuss groundwater recharge, crimping cover crops, and continuing her efforts to build soil health in her orchards. Gemperle also provides an update about her work on the almond board and the trip this past year to meet with growers around the state to introduce new CEO Clarice Turner. “We could really turn around our groundwater situation by using ag lands.” - Christine Gemperl...
Jun 17, 2024•32 min•Ep. 62
Discover how the Almond Board of California is helping to grow markets globally with key updates from recent trips by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team. From insightful participation in the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council Congress to engaging discussions at the AgTC Annual Conference, the team continues to address opportunities and challenges alike. Learn about Maximum Residue Level discussions from the CCPR meeting in China and the strategic European market visits led...
Jun 12, 2024•6 min
Alicia Rockwell, vice chair of the Almond Board of California and chief government affairs officer at Blue Diamond Growers, joined the Journey to share her perspective on stewardship and advocacy for the almond industry. Rockwell discusses lessons from her work at Blue Diamond and Save Mart Supermarkets, the critical role California Almond Stewardship Program (CASP) self-assessments have played in reputation management, how almonds are leading the way in terms of stewardship, and the importance ...
May 23, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 61
In recent months, the ABC Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team has been helping to expand global markets by meeting with key players in India, Turkey and Pakistan, and creating opportunities for the industry through both market promotional proposals. Hear the details from the trips and efforts, and about an upcoming webinar to help exporters grow and secure their sales.
May 16, 2024•5 min
Tree planting is a tremendous investment. The details of how to plant an orchard properly can have a big impact on the bottom line. In today’s episode, Dr. Brent Holtz explains the reasons that he regularly receives calls from growers about their young trees dying. These problems led Holtz to work with the Almond Board of California to create a video in both English and Spanish to highlight the most important planting considerations for both farmers and farm laborers. Holtz has been a farm advis...
May 07, 2024•26 min•Ep. 60
Effective integrated pest management (IPM) programs for almond pests, especially for navel orangeworm, are not a one-size-fits-all situation and Thomas Martin says especially during these challenging economic times. Martin, a chemist by training and a regional technical representative for Trécé, was a participant in the Almond Leadership Program last year and his project involved analyzing the return on investment (ROI) of various integrated pest management strategies. This project received a lo...
Apr 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 59
Coach Prime and the Almond Board of California joined forces around the big game earlier this year, further extending their game-changing campaign. Dive into the behind-the-scenes action and unprecedented success of the 'Own Your Prime' partnership, as ABC's Laura Morin reveals the remarkable impact on California almonds and beyond.
Apr 24, 2024•8 min
In this episode of the Almond Journey Podcast, we return to The Almond Conference 2023 where we sat down with Almond Board of California Director of Nutrition Research Elena Hemler. Hemler joined the Almond Board over a year ago to work with the Nutrition Research Committee to lead efforts in expanding the body of knowledge about the health properties of almonds. She came to the industry from an academic nutrition research background and previously worked at the Harvard School of Public Health. ...
Apr 12, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Highlights from April's Global Update – from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC – include the details behind the suspension of tariffs on almonds going into the UK, the findings from ABC's look into a French decree that was requesting information on endocrine disruptors properties on imports, and the latest on China's facility registration process that had applications stalled for months.
Apr 11, 2024•4 min
The March edition of the Marketing Bulletin from the Almond Board of California features President and CEO Clarice Turner who details her takeaways from ABC's annual trip to India in February. Turner and ABC staff hosted an almond conference in India where conversations circle around market access and regulation, and then exhibited at the colossal Gulfood show to promote California almonds.
Apr 04, 2024•8 min
Michael Kelley, President and CEO of Central California Almond Growers Association joined the Journey to share the challenges with the 2023 crop, especially the major problems with navel orangeworm damage. We also discuss other factors that led to it being such a difficult year and what producers can watch out for in the future. Kelley first appeared on this podcast on episode 42 . “(NOW damage) has certainly made a dent into the carryover. Hopefully it gets the stocks-to-use ratio to a level th...
Mar 14, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 57
March's highlights from the Global Update, by the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, include a recap of the annual India Tradeshow, ABC workshops at Gulfood that spurred almond interest from new markets, and the first exploratory trip to Pakistan for the Almond Board which revealed strong almond-related traditions in the region.
Mar 13, 2024•4 min
In February's Marketing Bulletin, here about the busy month of March set for the Trade Marketing and Stewardship group at the Almond Board of California. The team is set to attend three different types of conferences with three different types of attendees, all talking about the role almonds can play in food and recipe ingredients. Manager Charice Grace discusses the differences between the three events and the details behind the Tastemaker Trials competition that has been running this month....
Feb 27, 2024•7 min
At The Almond Conference 2023, Almond Board of Australia CEO Tim Jackson, and Senior Specialist of Pest Management at the Almond Board of California Lauren Fann joined the Journey. Jackson shared some of the similarities and differences between almond production in California and Australia and discussed the new pest to California almonds, Carpophilus truncatus which Australian producers have been battling for about a decade. Fann discusses the discovery of Carpophilus in California orchards, wha...
Feb 23, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 56
In this episode, we are joined by Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California. Turner shares about her listening tour with multiple stops throughout the state to hear from growers and to better understand their needs. She also discusses her previous experiences from farming to working for corporations like Pepsi and Starbucks. Finally, you’ll hear some of her ideas and areas of focus now that she has officially taken over for Richard Waycott. “I'm a collaborator. I like t...
Feb 02, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 55
In January's Marketing Bulletin, learn how the Almond Board of California introduced a pioneering QR code initiative aiming to redefine consumer interaction with the almond industry. Placed in high-traffic areas, the billboard-sized QR Code emphasizes transparency and stewardship in almond cultivation. With already hundreds of scans in just a few months, it addresses consumer concerns about water usage, pollinators and waste.
Jan 25, 2024•5 min
This episode is taken from nine different interviews conducted during The Almond Conference last month. People from around the industry were asked to share what’s on top of their minds headed into 2024. You’ll hear highlights from Alicia Rockwell, Bret Sill, Nav Athwal, Joe Palomino, Christine Gemperle, Julie Adams, Ambassador Doug McKalip, Michael Kelly, Brent Holtz, and Joseph Jackson. “I really would like to see pricing get stabilized as we come into this next year and do all that we can to c...
Jan 17, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Highlights from January's Global Update – from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California – include information on shipping delays and possible additional costs for cargo avoiding the Suez Canal, the new Great Britain-specific Pre-Export Check program has launched, and the latest update on China facility registrations for U.S. handlers.
Jan 12, 2024•4 min
In this episode, we celebrate the last twenty years of the Almond Board of California under the leadership of Richard Waycott. Waycott joined the Almond Board as President and CEO in 2002. He joined the Journey to reflect on the past couple of decades in almonds and share his hopes for where the industry goes in the future. We discussed the evolution of the almond industry, milestones and lessons learned along the way, and the transition over to incoming CEO Clarice Turner. “I've thoroughly enjo...
Dec 26, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Almond grower Jonnalee Dunn joins the Journey from Arbuckle, California. Dunn is the growth and development manager at Henderson Farms, which is a 52-person company that farms around 5,000 acres in Northern California. Dunn and her husband also own 120 acres of their own. In today’s episode, Dunn discusses why Henderson Farms prioritizes employee growth and development and how they carry out their company's core values every day. “Our huller was significantly impacted by the freeze (in 2022), an...
Dec 14, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Highlights from December's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at the Almond Board of California, include the international trade discussions that took place at The Almond Conference, an update on mold testing at Italian posts, and China has accepted ABC's application to include more almond hulls as animal feed. Listen now.
Dec 14, 2023•6 min
Almond grower and Almond Board of California Director Christine Gemperle discusses how she finds balance between conventional farming approaches and ecological processes. She also shares her early experiences with whole orchard recycling, new irrigation systems, cover crops and habitat for pollinators, including monarch butterflies. Gemperle and her brother Erich started their almond operation in 1997, which includes 135 acres on two farms: one near Ceres and the other in the Newman area. The br...
Nov 20, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 51
November's Marketing Bulleting from the Almond Board of California includes the details about the Building Global Demand for California Almonds marketing session at The Almond Conference 2023. Find out what will be covered and hear insights from ABC's Emily Fleischmann. Also, hear how Coach Prime and the 'Own Your Prime' campaign are popping up in stores and connecting with consumers.
Nov 18, 2023•4 min
Highlights from November's Global Update, from the Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team at ABC, include increased tariffs on almonds in the Turkey market, the efforts to stop a potential increase in Moroccan phosphate prices and the details on an extended trade delegation to China.
Nov 13, 2023•4 min
