From the Fields - Darren Rice

Butte County almond farmer

We wrapped up almond harvest in mid-September. I had a good crop in the younger trees but not in the older trees because they’re past their prime. Overall, I had a good crop. That last crop, we were fighting cold weather in February. Some growers lost their entire crop because of cold temperatures. Damage was worse on the west side of I-5 because those trees bloomed earlier, and the crop was a little more mature. We were still blooming, so we could take colder temperatures. You would think the region up here would be similar in temperature, but it’s not. This type of cold was something that I hadn’t experienced since the mid-70s.

We are pruning and getting almonds that did not get harvested off the trees. We need to get those stick-tights down because they harbor insects that will 
infest our next crop, so we’ve got to get them cleaned up in the winter.

We are repairing equipment and ordering parts, getting things ready for next year. My dad taught me that you want to do this when you don’t need it. Don’t wait until it’s time to go and then have to overhaul it in the middle of the field. You want to do it now when it’s not critical.

We’re budgeting for chemicals, checking chemical availability and prices. We are buttoning up our crop insurance for next year, making sure we have our field reports into the insurance company and get our policies in place. 
Looking ahead to next year and pollination, I’ve already contracted with my beekeeper. I’m going to put two hives to the acre. Bee pollination is not a good place to try to cut costs. It is expensive, but without nuts, you have 
nothing to sell.