With the theme “Rooted Together,” registration is now open for the 52^nd annual Almond Conference, where growers and industry professionals will gather for three days of workshops and exhibits Dec. 10-12 in Sacramento.

The yearly event at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center focuses on innovative research, market development and best practices and includes updates on production and consumer research, regulations and other topics.

Highlighting the conference will be a “State of the Industry” presentation on Dec. 10 by industry leaders, including Clarice Turner, who is completing her first year as the Almond Board of California’s chief executive officer. She was hired in 2023 to replace long-time CEO Richard Waycott. Workshops at the conference center on trade and marketing, policy, water, sustainable cultivation practices, and other topics.

The gathering’s “Rooted Together” theme follows remarks Turner made at the 2023 conference, where she discussed what she called a great strength of the almond industry – the supportive nature of everyone in it.

“I’m so impressed with how you all work together, help each other and care so deeply,” Turner told attendees last year. “As the industry struggles to deal with challenges, many we don’t control, it’s critical to pull together and focus on what we can control or influence to find our way forward.”

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More optimism

This year’s industry update is likely to be more optimistic than in recent years, as a “perfect storm” that led to unprofitable returns for growers began to subside this year. Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness division this summer suggested a more upbeat outlook for almond growers who have been losing money since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 amid a glut of almonds in the market.

Grower prices have firmed as demand for U.S. almonds appears to be recovering, with carryover supplies decreasing from as many as 800 million pounds of unsold nuts in recent years to as little as 500 million pounds this year.

In June, the price of Butte/Padre nuts was up about 40 cents per pound from where it had been, according to a central California processor. Inshell and standard Nonpareil almonds, the large snack-size almonds, had rebounded to about $2 a pound.

The USDA expects 2.8 billion meat pounds of almonds to come out of California orchards this season, a 13% increase from last year’s crop, but down 7% from the subjective forecast in May.

One unknown is the degree to which a newly discovered disease will affect crop yields. Symptoms of red leaf blotch, a plant disease caused by the fungus Polystigma Amygdalinum, was discovered in almonds for the first time in California across the Northern San Joaquin Valley, the University of California reported.

Related:Larger 2024 U.S. almond crop expected

The disease, named for the characteristic orange-to-dark red blotches that appear on infected leaves, is typically nonlethal for trees but has been a long-standing problem for almond-growing regions across the Mediterranean, the UC explains. Causing trees to lose their leaves prematurely, the fungal pathogen can significantly diminish crop yields in the current year and the next, according to the university.

Coach Prime

The “State of the Industry” report will also likely include an update on promotions by former pro football and baseball star Deion Sanders, who is now the head football coach of the University of Colorado’s Buffaloes. Nicknamed “Coach Prime,” Sanders, 57, is beginning his second football season as a pitchman for California almonds, with ads airing during college football on ABC, NBC, Fox, ESPN and on social media.

The report will also likely cover the progress of the industry’s Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, which were to cut water use by an additional 20%, increase use of environmentally friendly pest management tools by 25%, eliminate orchard waste by making better use of byproducts and halve the amount of dust kicked up during harvest. The goals were introduced at the 2018 conference.

The conference will also include a trade show that last year featured 230 exhibitors who blanketed the bottom level of the convention center with the latest products and innovations available to growers. The event will also feature an opening reception and a keynote luncheon.

Exhibit space and sponsorships are available, and hotel blocks will open at noon Pacific time on Sept. 12. Prices for booths will remain unchanged from the past two years, ranging from $3,000 to $12,500 depending on size.

Conference organizers warn that there are fraudulent agencies contacting industry members offering to secure rooms. The conference does not partner with any booking agencies, and organizers advise attendees to book directly with hotels.

For questions about lodging, contact April Thompson at [email protected].

Having started in 1973 as a half-day seminar, the conference in downtown Sacramento drew 3,819 attendees in 2023, a four-year high. Attendance at the conference is free but registration is required.

Visit Almonds.com/Conference.