Pistachios Continued from Page 6
in a written statement. “But the impact consumers see at checkout will be much smaller than the impact growers are feeling from the reduced crop.” Krebs, an American Pistachio Growers board member, said the small crop is disap- pointing because the industry has done a great job increasing worldwide demand by promoting the nut’s healthy nutritional pro- file. Iran and Turkey, the world’s second and third largest pistachio producers, respective- ly, also are expected to harvest smaller crops. Retaining customer loyalty will be im- portant because 2027 is expected to be an “on” year for U.S. producers, Nichols said. Depending on bloom and an industry average production of 3,200 pounds per bearing acre, he said growers have the po- tential to produce between 1.76 billion and 1.9 billion pounds next season. Diana Salsa, Wonderful Pistachios vice president of marketing, agreed, saying marketing pistachios is a long-term busi- ness: “And you can’t turn consumer de- mand on and off based on the size of one year’s crop,” she said in a statement. “In fact, it’s especially important that we maintain that visibility now,” she added. “We could be looking at a record crop in 2027, potentially exceeding 1.9 billion pounds, so we need consumers around the world think- ing about pistachios and wanting pistachios when that supply comes to market.” Vicky Boyd is a reporter in Modesto. She can be reached at agalert@cfbf.com.
In response to the reduced crop, agricul- tural commissioners in Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties this past summer requested the state Office of Emergency Services seek a U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster dec- laration for pistachio growers in their areas. Together, the three counties estimated dam- age to more than 337,700 acres, amounting to more than $839 million in losses. If approved, the declaration would also apply to adjacent counties and would al- low pistachio growers to apply for low-in- terest loans and loan deferrals, among other benefits. The industry attributes the short pro- duction to the 10 days of 90-plus-degree temperatures in March that led male pis- tachio trees to bloom early. The heat also sterilized the pollen shed by male trees and caused buds on female trees to drop. This resulted in significant blanking, or missing nut kernels, more unsplit shells and much lighter yields. “These were unprecedented weather conditions this year,” said Jeff Gibbons, director of grower relations with Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella in Tulare County. The heat impacts were widespread throughout Arizona and areas south of Madera in California. Although nut fill was better in areas north of Madera, he said it was still generally weak. In anticipation of increased production in Northern California, Setton Pistachio
Tulare County-based Setton Pistachio, which hulls, dries and stores pistachios, opened its Zamora facility in 2025 in anticipation of increased production in Northern California .
years ago began planning a hulling and drying facility near Zamora north of Wood- land, Gibbons said. Pistachios must be hulled within about 24 hours of harvest to avoid shell staining, and the Zamora facil- ity would help Setton reduce travel time to the huller for the North State crop. Opened before the 2025 season, the facility hulls, dries and stores pistachios. After the first season, Setton Pistachio in Zamora doubled to 20 the number of stain- less-steel storage silos and added a second receiving pit before the start of the 2026 harvest season. Gibbons said it should help handle future production increases. Marketing this year’s small crop will be a balancing act as Nichols said buyers tend not to mind higher prices as much as volatile prices. Nichols Farms plans to
allocate supplies for its longer-term cus- tomers because it won’t be able to meet all the demand. “Obviously, we won’t take on any new customers,” he said. “Some of the de- mand is going to be reduced with the price increases.” In August, Lost Hills-based Wonderful Pistachios announced it was raising pric- es, although the exact amount consumers pay will vary because it is set by individual retailers, said Michael Hohmann, Wonder- ful Pistachios executive vice president and chief financial officer. “We do expect prices to increase be- cause there are simply fewer pistachios coming out of California this year,” he said
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October 21, 2026 Ag Alert 7
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