Bloom Time for California Almonds

The largest single pollination event on Earth is underway in California’s Central Valley, with billions of bees pollinating billions of almond blossoms.

It’s a critical stage for almond growing, with sunny skies and light winds beneficial to success.

“A week ago, I would have told you there was a little bit of concern, because of the wet weather we were having,” said John Rodriguez, grower rep for Mariani Nut Company. “Now that we’re on the other side of it, things are shaping up and looking pretty good.”

“This is going to be a prolonged bloom, which is good during bad weather events,” remarked Ryan Warren, farm manager at JJB Farms. “It gives the bees more opportunities to have good days. And the bud set looks good, so the amount of flowers that are going to be out there looks good too. All in all, it should be good, but it’s Mother Nature that we’re dealing with, so we’ll see.”

California has 1.6 million acres of almond orchards and produces 80 percent of the world’s supply.