This years almond crop has been picked up and now critical post-harvest irrigation, and soil amendment (fertilizer application) begin almost as soon as the nuts leave the orchard. We are mindful to see to the needs of our trees which despite environmental challenges this year performed quite well for us.

Even though relative peace and quiet have returned to the orchard, there is a continuation behind the scenes. While not directly hands on we still follow the cycle of our crop and it is interesting to know the process.

Truckloads [38] arrive at our Huller/Sheller, the Central California Almond Growers Association (CCAGA), where they are temporarily stockpiled. Just as we were careful to monitor moisture, avoid mixing varieties, and control contamination, the huller must do the same. The product is exposed and rain and fog which will be the norm soon. In the event of early rain then plastic tarps can be used as cover but this is labor intensive and can be problematic. Their best bet is expedited processing.

This is a snippet from a CCAGA stock pile grower history print out. You can see that our Butte variety from the East Field were delivered by the truck load [4] and went into the stockpile identified as KNB74

The individual loads were identified by receipt and weight certificate numbers which are all part an important chain of accounting.

What does the CCAGA do: The Huller removes the outer hull (repurposed for livestock feed) and the inner shell as well and then delivers the clean and debris free raw nut to our contracted packing company, Panoche Creek. You may have heard of the marketing brand Blue Diamond; this is a [competitive] packing house cooperative – credit the stockpile photos you see here.

Not all almond consumers like them raw by the way. Demand for nuts sold with the inner shell intact has been on the rise. They go to foreign buyers and command a premium so we are happy to furnish them inshell.

The next post will describe the processing at Panoche Creek Packing and then finally, a detailed look at the paper trail progression from end to end and how to decipher it.