Almond Crop May Be Way Down
This year’s crop could be 12% below original USDA projection.
According to a report posted today by leading almond grower and beekeeper Dan Cummings, the 2012 almond crop is coming in well below USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimate of 2.1 billion pounds.
“If the final number is close to 1.85 billion pounds, as many now expect, that would be a shortfall of 250 million pounds, or 12% from industry expectations,” states “The Cummings Report,” which appears on a website dedicated to the health of honeybees, Project Apis. “There is lots of speculation as to the cause of the short crop but certainly a very dry growing year played a significant role.”
Besides the dearth of rainfall, Cummings, who farms in Chico, CA, speculates that perhaps the trees were simply tired after the record crop and yield per acre the previous year.
You can find the full report here.
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