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.
Rising Chinese feed output — especially for swine — signals sustained demand for protein meals and feed inputs, even when meat production growth appears modest.
February 16, 2026 11:30 AM
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Ethanol output is improving, but weak domestic demand and export headwinds temper optimism about corn demand. Renewable Fuels Association President & CEO Geoff Cooper discusses the latest developments on Federal approval of year-round E15.
February 16, 2026 11:00 AM
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The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has issued final Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments totaling more than $1.89 billion.
February 16, 2026 10:55 AM
Specialty Crops Acreage Reporting Deadline for 2025 is March 13
February 13, 2026 04:12 PM
Nitrogen and phosphate markets are tightening ahead of spring, keeping fertilizer costs elevated while crop prices lag.
February 13, 2026 08:00 AM
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In the U.S. and Canada, reduced planted acres—not yield losses—led to a decline in potato production, while Mexico saw modest gains due to increased yields and harvested areas.
February 12, 2026 05:11 PM
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