14 Almond Facts
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014
Acreage, Variety Figures Gleaned
from Almond Nursery Survey
Earlier this year, the Almond Board of California Board of Directors approved the commissioning of a survey of the principal
nurseries throughout the state involved in raising and shipping almond seedlings. In cooperation with the USDA and the
California Department of Food and Agriculture, the survey was conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The primary objective of the California Almond Nursery Sales Survey was to quantify the number of new almond trees
being shipped by nurseries in order to have a better idea of the new plantings and replanting taking place. Thus, the
information would assist in refning crop
forecasting for future years.
Questionnaires were sent to all known
almond nurseries in CA. Responses were
received from 8 out of 10 operations.
Acres planted were calculated using the
reported number of trees sold, along
with the trees per acre from the Almond
Acreage Survey.
The nurseries were asked to report
the total number of almond trees sold
for commercial plantings and the total
number of Nonpareil variety sold.
They were also asked for the percent
of trees sold for new almond orchards,
replanting an existing orchard or to
replace trees within an existing orchard.
The results concluded that at least
8.33 million almond trees were sold by
CA nurseries since July 1, 2013, which
represents a 25 percent increase from
those sold a year earlier. Of those sold
since July 1, 2013, 72 percent were used
for new plantings, 24 percent were used
to replant an existing orchard and 4
percent were used to replace trees within
existing orchards.
Per the Almond Acreage Survey, there
was a new planting average of 125
trees per acre. Almost 67,000 acres
of almonds have been planted since
the middle of 2013, and over 26,000
of those acres were to Nonpareils.
About 72 percent of the total trees sold
(48,000 acres) are new almond orchard
acres, and almost 24 percent (16,000
acres) replace existing orchards. The
remaining trees sold replaced trees in
already existing orchards.
California Agricultural Statistics publications
are available at www.nass.usda.gov/ca.