As with so many shelling seasons in the past it seems like every couple of years we break a new record and the 2019 season is a whopper! We are very close to finishing our seasonal processing activities and we will once again be shelling out a record crop. Our Kerman location should go silent on January 6, 2020 and when it does it appears that our production volume will be near 136,000,000 meat equivalent pounds. This is nearly 30,000,000 lbs. more than the 2018 season when 105,816,119 lbs. were cracked out. On a percentage basis this is an increase of 28.4%, over the prior season. The average yield per acre will be near 2,304 lbs., which will be the second highest yield ever recorded at your Association!

Last season our area incurred freeze events during pollination that many believed would jeopardize the crops potential. However, the cold was not as significant as in areas north of Madera county where yields were greatly compromised in the State’s almond production region. As in the past, high yielding crops usually have lower levels of pest damage. This was certainly the case last season with very low levels of Naval Orange Worm and ant damage being seen on our processing lines in the shellers. The Non-Pareil overall volume was up by 41.7%, with Monterey and Aldrich up by 28% and 25% respectively. Overall, average turnout of all varieties currently is running at 25.90%.

The Association’s shellers performed well this last season. We had the benefit of very little moisture in our area during receiving. From a quality standpoint, 2019 will go down as one of the finest quality crops ever shelled at your Association. Many members have reported receiving significant premiums on deliveries from their packers due to the exceptional quality delivered.