Photo by Sabrina Halvorson
At the 2024 Almond Conference, Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California, delivered an optimistic State of the Industry address. In the presentation, she and the Almond Board’s Alexi Rodriguez highlighted significant growth in demand, sustainability achievements, and the diverse benefits of almonds.
Rising Demand and Market Growth
In an interview immediately following the address, Turner emphasized the momentum in almond demand across key and emerging markets. “We’re seeing momentum in demand very much so in our key markets and really importantly in our developing markets too,” she said. The industry set records by shipping over 200 million pounds of almonds for 10 consecutive months last year, a trend that has already repeated twice this year.
Turner also noted the industry’s success in reducing carryout. “We sold 300 million more pounds last year than we produced—that’s super helpful,” she explained. Market growth figures are also encouraging, with U.S. consumption up 1.6%, Western Europe up 3%, and India showing remarkable growth at 21%. “Wow, again, we haven’t seen it in a long time,” Turner said of these numbers.
Sustainability Achievements
The almond industry’s sustainability efforts were another highlight of Turner’s address. She pointed out the impressive impact of almond orchards on carbon sequestration. “We’ve already sequestered 30 million metric tons from the air, just with the trees in the ground right now,” she said. This amount is equivalent to the emissions of all passenger cars in Oregon, California, Washington, and Texas. Additionally, almond trees sequester 18 million metric tons of carbon annually. Turner also praised the practice of whole orchard recycling, where end-of-life trees are returned to the soil. “It’s a huge step in the right direction in terms of really respecting the environment,” she said.
Bee and Water Innovations
Turner underscored the almond industry’s role in supporting pollinators. “Of all the bee-friendly certified farms in the world, 86% are almond orchards,” she noted. Water use, often a subject of scrutiny, has improved significantly over the years. “If you look at our usage across the last 20 years, we’ve seen significant declines in the amount of water it takes to produce the yields,” Turner explained. Advances in tree varieties and micro-drip irrigation systems have been instrumental in these improvements. She added, “For every drop, we’re getting four crops,” highlighting the zero-waste nature of almond farming.
Health Benefits and Innovation
Turner highlighted the diverse uses of almond byproducts and their nutritional value. Hulls and shells currently serve as livestock feed and bedding, but research is exploring their use in human food. “They’re really high in fiber and other nutrients,” she said, with potential for use in health-conscious products. On the health front, almonds positively impact gut, heart, and brain health. “There are literally so many good things that almonds put into the human body,” Turner said.
She concluded with a hopeful outlook for the industry. “Be confident. There’s a great future ahead. We’re not out of the woods yet, but there’s a lot of great signs,” she said, leaving the audience with optimism for continued success.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour. She was recently named the 2024 Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and serves as a Council Member on the World Agriculture Forum. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley and now divides her time between California and North Dakota.