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.
Strong corn exports support demand while soybeans lag.
April 22, 2026 08:00 AM
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U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota joined us to discuss rising input costs, fertilizer transparency efforts, and the role of trade in supporting farmer profitability.
April 21, 2026 04:12 PM
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Louisiana State University Professor Shelly Pate Kerns says a late freeze forced widespread replanting of some crops across the state.
April 21, 2026 03:37 PM
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Lewis Williamson with HTS Commodities joined us to discuss the latest crop progress report and how market uncertainty and input costs are shaping planting decisions this spring.
April 21, 2026 12:00 PM
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Shifts in energy demand will influence fuel, fertilizer, and input costs.
April 21, 2026 08:00 AM
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Roger McEowen breaks down the EPA’s updated dicamba regulations and shares what farmers need to do to remain compliant under the new rules this growing season.
April 20, 2026 05:01 PM
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