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.
Lewis Williamson with HTS Commodities discusses how tensions in the Middle East are impacting producer’s spring planting decisions.
March 17, 2026 02:13 PM
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Farm Legal expert Roger McEowen discusses new dicamba regulations, compliance requirements for growers, and the evolving outlook for herbicide use.
March 17, 2026 01:52 PM
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Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition discusses supply chain disruptions, rising costs, and the potential impact on agriculture as farmers navigate ongoing global uncertainty.
March 17, 2026 12:53 PM
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The action follows the March 13 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which upheld a district court decision denying a preliminary injunction that sought to halt the exchange.
Strong exports support ethanol margins and corn demand.
March 17, 2026 08:00 AM
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Export competition remains heavy despite solid trade.
March 17, 2026 06:00 AM
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