Hi All,

I recently had the pleasure of driving through California's South Valley on
Interstate 5.

The almond crop was staggering!  Some varieties were so heavily loaded with
nuts, that the growers had propped the laden branches up with sticks.

Harvested nuts were being stockpiled in huge piles.

On the other hand, there were a few large orchards that were dead or dying
due to lack of water.  Shocking to see an investment of this scale left to
die!  Water has become an issue, as it has become in other almond growing
areas of the world.

BTW, the South Valley looks like bee desert this time of year--if irrigation
is not being supplied, there is scant forage for bees.

Water issues are likely to pull the reins in on South Valley plantings (the
bulk of almond plantings).  With the worldwide strong demand for healthy
almond nutmeats, the price for almonds looks to hold strong.  This augers
well for the ability of almond growers to pay for bee rental for
pollination.

The potential restriction in new plantings, due to scarcity of water, may
decrease demand for additional colonies.  Price will reflect the supply of
strong colonies.

It will be very interesting to see how this combination of demand, high fuel
costs, strong honey prices, and colony health issues will play out in the
upcoming season.

Randy Oliver

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