The Almond Journey Podcast from the Almond Board of California (ABC) has been bringing industry members closer through shared experiences and insight from fellow industry members. ABC Senior Specialist of Industry Communications, Taylor Hillman said that industry members have been largely supportive since the podcast was launched a year ago. The idea has been to encourage communication within the industry and provide a peer-to-peer perspective on issues affecting almond production.
“Growers still go to coffee shops and local diners and a lot of their information that they consume is from other growers and industry members,” said Hillman. “The point of this podcast was to share those experiences. To have people in the industry talk about the ways that they’re making things work and what they tried and what they tried and failed. I think that’s just as important as what succeeded. So, the whole point of the Almond Journey Podcast is to share those stories.”
The podcast has covered a variety of topics from Navel orangeworm mating disruption, to pollination and beekeeping, to custom harvesting approaches. One of the more recent episodes features independent PCA and crop consultant Justin Nay who shares his experience with integrated pest management (IPM). Nay stressed the importance of monitoring in IPM systems and talked about his approach to effective pest management. Retired Air Force officer Alec Earle describes his experience in developing a new almond orchard from scratch in the most recent episode of the podcast. Altogether, the 20 episodes of the Almond Journey Podcast provide industry members with another unique educational resource.
“It has seemed to be approved by the industry. They’re listening in, they’re getting ideas. And that’s the goal is hopefully hearing some of these voices on this podcast will spark connections or ideas with other people in the industry,” Hillman explained. “These episodes are 30 minutes, and the host Tim Hammerich does a great job. They’re very entertaining and they’re very digestible.”
Listen to Hillman’s interview below.
The Almond Journey Podcast can be found on the ABC website and is accessible through all major podcasting apps.
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