The Central California Almond Growers Association gathered in Fresno in mid-June for its 53rd annual meeting and social gathering.

The San Joaquin Valley-based cooperative operates hulling and shelling plants in Kerman and Sanger, processing around 100 million pounds of almonds annually. The organization has over 400 members.

According to association President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Kelley, this year's almond crop could set another record for throughput as nut shipments could arriving at the processing plants by late July as some members project they could harvest a week to 10 days earlier than normal.

Growth in the California almond industry could force the association to once-again boost its processing capacity, according to Board Chairman James McFarlane.