Almond Journey

Almond Journey
  • 4.7 (14)
  • Business
  • Updated Monthly

This show explores how almond growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich is visiting with almond leaders throughout California who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. Hearing the voices of these industry leaders might spark a connection or idea you can use in your own journey. That’s why we want to feature these stories of innovation, resilience, and community.

  1. Sep 4

    Episode 103: Phenology Models for NOW with David Crowder

    Entomologist Dr. David Crowder joins the Journey to talk about a project that could be beneficial for management of navel orangeworm. Crowder shares how phenology models have been used to manage major pests in other crops like codling moth and Colorado potato beetle, and how the same approach could help California almond growers with navel orangeworm. Often called "nature's calendar,” phenology is the study of the timing of recurring biological events in the natural world. Crowder says that using a phenology model can provide predictive information about the behavior of things like insect pests. “Trying to give people simple models of when something might happen seven to 14 days in advance, sending them a text message, ‘Hey, your bugs are going to be flying,’ these are the most effective models.” - Dr. David Crowder In Today’s episode: Meet Washington State University Professor of Entomology Dr. David CrowderExplore the value phenology models can offer growers in managing insect pests including navel orangewormDiscover the trials available that producers can participate in to evaluate the use of the phenology models predictions Growers can create an account and explore the Decision Aid System at treenuts.decisionaid.systems/ The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

  2. Aug 20

    Almond Byte, August 2026: Key Wins in 2025/2026 Crop Year

    This month’s Almond Byte from ABC’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team looks back at a busy 2025/26 year supporting market access for California almonds around the world. From progress on Japan’s voluntary aflatoxin pre-testing protocol and duty-free access into the European Union to strengthened relationships in key markets including China, India, Mexico, Morocco and the United Kingdom, the GTRA team worked to resolve nearly 100 trade and technical issues, protect export opportunities and represent California almonds in global regulatory discussions.

    Almond Byte, August 2026: Key Wins in 2025/2026 Crop Year

  3. Jul 30

    Episode 102: The Impact of Almond Stewardship with Dan Sonke

    Dan Sonke joins the Journey from The Almond Conference 2025 in Sacramento to discuss sustainability programs and their impact on consumer perception and farming economics. At that time of this interview, Sonke was the head of sustainability programs at Blue Diamond Growers where he was responsible for building and leading enterprise sustainability strategy, reporting, and governance. Sonke also led development of one of the world’s largest farmer datasets through the California Almond Stewardship Platform (CASP), and serves as the current chair of the Almond Board of California’s Environmental Stewardship Working Group. “We have an amazing, science-backed story for our customers around the world. When they buy almonds from California, they're buying something that's not only a healthy product, but has a high degree of environmental protection associated with it.” - Dan Sonke In Today’s episode: Meet Dan Sonke, chair of the Almond Board of California’s Environmental Working Group and almond industry leader in sustainabilityDiscover how Sonke has pursued a career in developing and executing agriculture sustainability across multiple industriesExplore the creation and intention of the California Almond Stewardship Platform The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

  4. Jul 16

    Almond Byte, July 2026: SNACKEX, Tariff and Trade Updates, US-EU Deal

    In this Almond Byte, the Almond Board of California’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs team provides updates on key international trade and regulatory issues affecting California almonds. The episode covers ABC’s participation at SNACKEX in Lisbon, recent tariff and trade developments, the new U.S.-EU trade deal that could support almond competitiveness in Europe, and evolving maximum residue limit policies in Vietnam and Thailand. Together, these updates show how ABC works to protect market access, strengthen global relationships and keep almond growers informed about issues that can affect demand and movement of California almonds around the world.

    Almond Byte, July 2026: SNACKEX, Tariff and Trade Updates, US-EU Deal

  5. Jul 6

    Episode 101: Bringing Clarity to Almond Markets with Carson Pettit

    Carson Pettit joined the Journey to share what led him back to California and into the almond industry, some of the current market dynamics in the global almond trade, how RPAC is staying on the cutting edge of grower engagement, his experiences with the California Ag Leadership program, and his hopes for the future. Pettit is the grower relations manager at RPAC growers and processors. This episode was recorded at The Almond Conference 2025 back in December, so his comments are all relative to what was happening at that point in time. “We really need clarity for everybody to feel better about being active in the market. And when there's not that clarity, it's just very hard for anybody to have any sense of a good idea of what's going to happen in the world.” - Carson Pettit In Today’s episode: Meet Carson Pettit, the grower relations manager at RPAC growers and processorsDiscover Pettit’s journey into the almond industry and what his role is as a grower relations managerUnderstand current market dynamics in the global almond trade and how that may impact producersExplore how RPAC is pursuing and expanding grower engagementLearn about his experiences with the California Ag Leadership Program and the impact that has made on his career The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

  6. Jun 10

    Episode 100: A Brief History of California Almonds

    Marlin Flory and Gerry Rominger join the Journey on its 100 podcast episode to reflect on how far the almond industry has come. About 100 years ago, the California almond industry was just starting to grow with applied irrigation. Flory and Rominger, multi-generational California almond industry members take listeners through a few major advancements in the industry over that time and detail how the industry supports its growth. “It’s fascinating the evolution of the industry, both with machinery and technology. The science has just really changed everything and let it become what it is today.” - Gerry Rominger In Today’s episode: Hear from almond producer and industry leaders Gerry Rominger and Marlin Flory, respectivelyExplore the evolution of the almond industry in CaliforniaDiscover how these prominent industry members weather the twists and turns and the optimism they maintain through it all The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

  7. May 27

    Episode 99: Economics and Agronomics with Mel Machado

    Mel Machado joins the Journey to provide a wide-ranging “state of the almond orchard” discussion. Machado is the Chief Agricultural Officer at Blue Diamond Growers and discusses the current challenging grower economics, the decline in almond acreage, the decision to end the objective estimate and some of his thoughts on pollination, cover crops, bee health and more. In addition to his 34-year career at Blue Diamond, Machado also serves as an alternate on the Almond Board of California and holds positions on the Production Stewardship Workgroup and Strategic Ag Innovation Committee. “Excell at the basics. You can have all the fancy stuff in the world like remote sensing tools. But if the nutrition's not right, if the water's not right, you're going to have a problem. Master the basics.” - Mel Machado In Today’s episode: Hear from Blue Diamond Growers Chief Agricultural Officer Mel MachadoExplore the impacts of bloom, weather, bee health and other agronomic factorsDiscover the significance and tradeoffs of crop estimating and average yield calculationsUnderstand how the almond industry benefits by supporting the bee industry The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.

  8. May 21

    Almond Byte, May 2026: Trade Shifts, Middle East Disruptions and USDA Funding

    In this month’s Almond Byte, we’re digging into highlights from May’s Global Update and what they mean for California almond growers. We’ll cover the latest developments in trade and tariff activity, including movement on the farm bill and ongoing discussions tied to key export markets. We’ll also look at how the Iran conflict is disrupting shipments in the Middle East, creating delays, reroutes and added costs for handlers. And we’ll share news on new USDA funding that will help ABC continue building demand and expanding opportunities for California almonds overseas.

    Almond Byte, May 2026: Trade Shifts, Middle East Disruptions and USDA Funding
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4.7
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

This show explores how almond growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich is visiting with almond leaders throughout California who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry. Hearing the voices of these industry leaders might spark a connection or idea you can use in your own journey. That’s why we want to feature these stories of innovation, resilience, and community.

Information

  • Creator
    Almond Journey
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    170
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Almond Journey
  • Show Website
    Almond Journey