Ag Alert November 4, 2026

Walnuts Continued from Page 1

To reach younger and more health-con- scious consumers, the industry has in- creasingly promoted walnuts as a fresh produce item, seeking to change percep- tions of the nut as “an ingredient that your grandmother used in banana nutcake,” Verloop said. California’s walnut footprint peaked in 2021 at 390,000 bearing acres, according to USDA. Since 2024, the state’s bearing acre- age has hovered around 380,000, accord- ing to Sacramento-based Land IQ, which began mapping the industry’s acreage in 2023. More than 9,000 acres are estimated to have been abandoned. Davit, the Sutter County grower, said walnut producers were hit hard this year by increased fuel prices, even more so than growers of some other crops because wal- nuts are harvested in three passes, each of which relies on diesel-fueled machines. “It’s a big factor,” he said. Growers said they were not optimistic about the crop going forward. Davit said he plans to continue grow- ing walnuts primarily because his 30-acre orchard is still young, and it would be too costly to take out the trees and redevelop the land with another crop. “I’m definitely not planting more,” he said. Hundal, the Sequoia Nut Company/ Custom Almonds LLC executive, said the company is considering pulling out its 400 acres of walnuts after this season. “We’re just wrapping up harvest,” he said. “We’ll see where we end up on the pricing, and we’ll make the call.” Caleb Hampton is an editor at Ag Alert. He can be reached at champton@cfbf.com.

grudging acceptance from some buyers. Others are holding off, hoping the pricing will break downward.” He said an anticipated deal between California’s major walnut handlers and Germany’s largest importers could soon dictate the price range for this year’s crop. In 2024, California walnut producers exported about 55% of the state’s crop, according to USDA. The top destinations were the European Union, led by Germa- ny, followed by Turkey, Japan, South Korea and India. Walnut exports were valued at $922 million, ranking fifth among Califor- nia agricultural commodities. Robert Verloop, CEO of the walnut board, said prices for growers were ex- pected to be “significantly higher” this year than the 75 cents a pound they received on average for last year’s crop. However, “they may not go up enough to cover the light crop and higher production cost,” Verloop said. While each grower has a different break- even price, industry experts said walnut growers generally need to earn at least a dol- lar a pound to make a profit on their crop, which hasn’t happened since 2017. Prices neared a dollar a pound in 2019 and 2024. “We were certainly not close to that last year,” Barton said. The industry’s recent struggles rough- ly coincided with an explosion of walnut production in China, which transformed during the past decade from being among the top buyers of California walnuts to the world’s top walnut producer, with exports rivaling those of the U.S.

Walnuts are harvested in Solano County. California produces virtually all U.S.-grown walnuts, exporting much of the crop to countries such as Germany, Turkey, Japan, South Korea and India.

According to experts, competition from China has driven down walnut prices over- all and pushed California to prioritize cer- tain markets. “At first, markets were not used to Chi- nese walnuts, but they slowly got cheap enough that people started trying them,” Verloop said. “It has taken the bottom of the market away from us and caused us to have to focus on markets that are more quality focused.” California walnut exporters have faced other challenges, too. Shipping delays, disruptions and cost increases caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran have resulted in millions of dol- lars in losses for handlers, which in turn af- fected the payout to farmers, Verloop said. Another headwind has been the de- clining value of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar, which Barton said has limited the potential for growth in a key

market by raising the cost to Japanese buyers of U.S. commodities. “It’s not anything growers and packers can control, but it does definitely affect our trading partners’ ability to buy more Cali- fornia walnuts,” he said. An uptick in domestic walnut sales has provided a bright spot for the industry. During the past year, walnuts outper- formed other nut categories in the U.S. market, according to consumer research conducted by the walnut board. Verloop said that success is the result of a “full-court press” by the industry group in working with retailers to promote walnuts. “It’s been a concerted effort of ours over the last three or four years to focus on arguably our largest market,” he said. “It’s a market that we feel has been underdevel- oped, and we’re starting to see some real positive movement there.”

TOUGHER THAN THE TRAIL Honda’s FourTrax Rancher, Foreman, and Foreman Rubicon ATVs are back for 2026, rugged and ready as ever.

TOUGHER THAN THE TRAIL Honda’s FourTrax Rancher, Foreman, and Foreman Rubicon ATVs are back for 2026, rugged and ready as ever. California FFA students win in Agricultural Proficiency

Six California high school students were named winners of Agricultural Proficien- cy Awards during the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo held in Indianapolis last month. The awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experi- ences, or SAEs, have developed special- ized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. Students compete in areas ranging from agricultural communications

Capitan FFA for specialty animal pro- duction—entrepreneurship/placement. Conrad worked for Conrad Bee Pollination and owned 48 beehives under G&C Bee. Through his experience, Conrad learned and managed all aspects of beekeeping production, sold honey and provided bee rentals for pollination. He plans to pursue a career in beekeeping after completing his agricultural business degree. Conrad is supported by his parents, Jason and Jean- nine Conrad, and his FFA advisers Kaylyn Davenport, Celia Casso, Daniel Fishman, Michaela Pignone, Julie Schellhase and Dillon Guillen. • Gauge Goehring of the Galt FFA for swine production—entrepreneurship. Goehring owned and operated Double G Show Pigs, managing, breeding, producing and exhibiting show pigs. He developed skills in nutrition management, research- ing and implementing disease prevention measures, reproductive management and marketing, which will assist him in his career goal of becoming a professional pork producer. Goehring is supported by his parents, Sonny and JessaLee Goeh- ring, and FFA advisers Derek Silva, Jordan See FFA, Page 16

TOUGHER THAN THE TRAIL Honda’s FourTrax Rancher, Foreman, and Foreman Rubicon ATVs are back for 2026, rugged and ready as ever. TOUGHER THAN THE TRAIL

to wildlife management. This year’s winners are:

Honda’s FourTrax Rancher, Foreman, and Foreman Rubicon ATVs are back for 2026, rugged and ready as ever.

• Saray Madriz Alcaraz of the Madera FFA Chapter for small animal production and care—entrepreneurship/placement. She gained experience through her pro- duction enterprise breeding, raising and showing rabbits. Her project focused on breeding fryers to sell to 4-H and FFA members across the state to show at their county fairs. Her operation grew in scope from three rabbits in 2022 to 545 in 2025. Madriz Alcaraz is supported by her par- ents, Arturo and Lidia Madriz, and FFA ad- visers Kristin Sheehan, Stephanie Goeb, Jorge Salas, Madelyn Fernandes, Sigifredo Rubio Contreras and Julie Lu. • Clarke Conrad of the Merced-El

Fresno Clawson Motorsports 559-435-5020 www.clawsonmotorsports.com Huntington Beach Huntington Beach Honda 714-842-5533 www.hbhonda.com

Paso Robles California Custom Trailers & Powersports 805-227-4665 www.calcustompaso.com Red Bluff Red Bluff Motorsports 530-527-1466 www.redbluffmotorsports.com

Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing and ride responsibly. Utility ATVs are recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. Honda recommends that all ATV riders take a training course. Respect the environment when riding. For more information, visit powersports.honda.com. FourTrax Rubicon ® , Fourtrax Foreman ® , Fourtrax Rancher ® , and Fourtrax Recon are registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©️ 2025 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (4/25)

ATV Family (FourTrax Rancher/Foreman/Foreman Rubicon) 7.625” x 5.25” MODEL: ATV Family (FourTrax Rancher/Foreman/Foreman Rubicon) Category: ATV/REC/Utility Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing and ride responsibly. Utility ATVs are recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. Honda recommends that all ATV riders take a training course. Respect the environment when riding. For more information, visit powersports.honda.com. FourTrax Rubicon ® , Fourtrax Foreman ® , Fourtrax Rancher ® , and Fourtrax Recon are registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©2025 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (4/25) Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing and ride responsibly. Utility ATVs are recommende course. Respect the environment when riding. For more information, visit powersports.honda.com. FourTrax Rub of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©️ 2025 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (4/25)

ATV Family (FourTrax Rancher/Foreman/Foreman Rubicon) 7.625” x 5.25” MODEL: ATV Family (FourTrax Rancher/Foreman/Foreman Rubicon) Category: ATV/REC/Utility

14 Ag Alert November 4, 2026