Growing almonds requires a lot of water, a resource heavily regulated in some areas.
It led researchers at UC Davis to roll up their sleeves and see just how much stress an almond tree can take.
“We had two sites, we have six years in one and three years in another, and found that we could wait a substantial amount of time, more than one month after growers normally start irrigating. We have not seen any bad effects on yields, but we have seen a better tree appearance in the trees. Now, we haven’t actually seen any serious symptoms, but at least delaying irrigation for long times has had no detrimental effect and some positive effects,” said Ken Shackel.
No worries there, but starting irrigation too late can cause issues. Shackel calls it the “bank account effect,” when the trees take up too much water too quickly, and then do not have enough to get through harvest.
The farm bill is still moving, but the toughest amendment fights were pushed into today’s session. ASA President Scott Metzger joins us to discuss the risks of tariff actions on soybean exports, concerns over trade policy and production costs, and the importance of Farm Bill updates.
April 30, 2026 10:22 AM
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Higher biofuel mandates boost long-term crop demand, but a tighter D4 market may pressure biofuel feedstocks and pose new soybean oil demand risks.
April 30, 2026 07:00 AM
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John Mays with Central Life Sciences joins us to discuss the importance of pest management ahead of wheat storage and how protecting grain quality can support stronger marketing opportunities.
April 29, 2026 03:18 PM
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University of Arkansas researchers are working to help farmers reduce grain waste and get more value out of their crops.
April 29, 2026 03:03 PM
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Louisiana soybean farmers are moving quickly to get this year’s crop planted during a key window for yield potential.
April 29, 2026 02:08 PM
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EPA’s approval gives citrus growers a new disease-fighting tool against greening at a time when production losses remain severe.
April 29, 2026 01:55 PM
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