While this year's California almond crop is expected to be one of the largest on record, the state's growers have had to contend with limited supplies of water. Though it's not clear if drought conditions will affect this year's crop or future crops, growers are already finding ways to cope with less water.“We don't know what effect the drought will have on production yet,” said Brian Wright of Del Mar Farms. “Once almonds are shaken to the ground we'll get a count and have a better idea if this year's crop has been affected, but we won't know if there are any issues until then.” Most growers have had to deal with medium to severe water restrictions in surface water this growing season, and because almond trees require a fair amount of water, when compared to similar crops, continued water restrictions could affect production. Wright estimated that almond trees require between 25 and 50 percent more water than other row crops, so growers are looking for ways to do with less.
“California’s 2014 almond production estimate of 2.1 billion pounds is expected to be the largest crop on record,” said Rob McMurtrie from the Almond Board of California. “This year’s record-breaking crop forecast is a testament to the state-of-the-art farming practices and techniques our growers use to minimize water use.” As demand for almonds has increased over the last several years, both domestically and abroad, the state's growers have done an impressive job of increasing production to meet that demand. But with the prospect of less water, the state's growers have also had to look for ways to sustain that production with fewer resources.
“It is too early to predict how the drought will impact almond growers in future years which is why they continue to invest in long-term irrigation solutions and are committed to sustainable farming using state-of-the-art farming practices and technologies that minimize the water quantity required for maximum yield per acre,” said McMurtrie. “ Our current research is looking at new breakthroughs in other water-efficient farming methods and technologies that maximize water usage with minimal impact to orchard production and the environment.”