4.almond prices low and with pollination high and water cost high some
growers might consider passing this year to rest trees.

Am I close Randy or way off base?

bob

From what 
I've been told by those with large contracts , I think your number 4  is the main cause for any problems.Face it bees are not the most expensive thing they use,and beekeepers are the only ones which will stupidly cut prices,the water man, fertilizer man or the chemical man ain't gonna budge like we will.
  But anyway,I've been told the scheme seems to be rent less bees, make a smaller crop on your bee covered rented land and work the numbers on paper with an overall crop loss to make up some of the money.
  Having learned how some of the watermelon growers here work the USDA crop loss program when you have numerous large fields ,it's not hard to make money and cut your inputs at the same time.
  It's a learned game to make more , with less and tighten the crop up to firm up the coming years prices for nuts.
 If only pollination was included as a crop loss for beekeepers.

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