Frost devastates Central Valley almonds

SACRAMENTO
March 16, 2009 12:01am

As much as 50 million pounds of almonds may have been lost to frost in the San Joaquin Valley, the California Farm Bureau Federation says.

Freezing temperatures damaged almond nutlets in over a wide area last week.

“There’s thousands of acres involved. Some are affected to a minor degree and others are completely wiped out,” says Dave Baker, member relations director for Blue Diamond Growers, a Sacramento-based cooperative with about 3,000 almond grower members.

Temperatures dropped as low as 26 degrees when frost was not in the forecast. The frost was scattered so that some orchards were total losses, while others had little or no damage. Temperatures did not get as cold in the Sacramento Valley, where no damage has been reported.

“This one dropped in the coldest locations to about 26 degrees and it held for a couple of hours,” Mr. Bakers says. “When your duration is more than a half hour, then you start causing damage.”

Damage was widespread, but largely confined to pockets where temperatures were colder.

“We’ve been working up and down the east side of the Valley, all the way from San Joaquin County all the way into Bakersfield. The damage has occurred in all of the counties,” says Mr. Baker.

The cold weather followed days of excellent pollination during the blossoming of the trees.

And growers remain on edge

“Our frost worries are not over. I personally stay nervous until the first of May,” Mr. Baker says.