Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1310869
FROM LEADERSHIP We Are All on the Same Rope Hello. I'm Kent Stenderup, an almond grower from Arvin and your new chairman at the Almond Board of California (ABC). I was elected chairman at the Board of Directors meeting in August and am humbled by the opportunity to serve you throughout the 2020/21 crop year. As I sat down to write this column, I thought back to my son's keynote speech at The Almond Conference last December. Remember December? It seems like such a long time ago – back when we were still able to meet in large groups, shake hands and enjoy meals together. I am ready for those times to return, but it looks like we'll have to wait another year to gather in-person for this annual event. An avid mountain climber, my son John Stenderup has summited Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, as well as K2, the second highest, and Lohtse, the fourth. In his talk at the conference, John shared several "lessons from the mountain" that are applicable to our personal and business lives. One of the lessons John shared was "we are all on the same rope." His point was that climbers on Mt. Everest share the same rope as they ascend to the highest point on the planet. If a climber above you falters, it could affect the entire expedition. But if you work together and support each other along the way, you can reach the group's collective goal. The California almond industry is currently facing its own mountain, a record 3-billion-pound crop, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's Objective Forecast. As if the challenge of harvesting the crop during a global pandemic and the worst wildfire season in recent history wasn't enough, now we face the task of proficiently marketing the crop. Yet I have full faith and confidence that we can meet these challenges by working together and supporting each other along the way. My challenge to fellow California almond growers, handlers, buyers and sellers, and everyone in between is to stay focused on the "almond fundamentals" (a term coined by ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott), or the "reasons why" customers and consumers around the world want to buy our product – because of its healthy, wholesome, nutritious, delicious, versatile, safe and sustainable characteristics. At the Almond Board, we must stay focused on building global demand. There is no doubt that the robust global market we have developed over the past several decades has been the key to surviving the unprecedented challenges posed by the combination of trade wars and a global pandemic. Our ability to bend and flex as our top export market shifted from China to India as a result of the retaliatory tariffs, then respond to an increase in domestic demand and logistical challenges as the world shut down due to COVID-19, offer great examples of almond fundamentals at play. Further, we approved the largest global marketing budget in the history of the Almond Board for the coming year. As we know, the size of the crop on top of the trade wars and COVID-19 has resulted in a significant price decline in recent months. While discouraging, with these prices we have an opportunity to expand our consumer base around the world to people who may not have been able to afford almonds. As we grow demand to not only meet, but exceed, supply, prices should adjust accordingly. While we continue to build demand, we also must work to protect the reputation of California almonds around the world – a reputation built on the almond fundamentals of producing a safe and healthy food. When asked about a variety of issues that could impact demand – from water use to bee health – consumers repeatedly return to the healthfulness of almonds as their "reason to believe." Danielle Veenstra, ABC senior manager of Reputation Management and Sustainability Communications, calls this Kent Stenderup Chair, Board of Directors Almond Board of California 1 Similar to climbers summitting Mt. Everest who are literally all on the same rope, the California almond industry must work together to face both current and upcoming challenges.