How We Grow

The Future of How We Grow, The Almond Conference, and More! Welcome to the 20 th (and final?) issue of How We Grow. It's another issue packed with information from the Almond Board of California specifically for almond growers. Much of the content of How We Grow is based upon research funded by the Almond Board to help you address challenges ranging from deficit irrigation to navel orangeworm. In this issue, you'll find research articles on autonomous tractor technology (page 9) and brown spot from plant bugs (page 2). We also use How We Grow to keep you informed of happenings at the Almond Board, such as the Marvel Thor movie advertising campaign and industry screenings that took place in July (page 5) and plans for The Almond Conference 2022, to be held Dec. 6-8 in Sacramento (page 7). We hope you enjoy this issue. A lot of time and effort goes into writing and producing this publication. Not to mention money! Well, actually, let's talk about budget. With the recent objective crop estimate (2.6 billion pounds) down 200 million pounds from the subjective estimate (2.8 billion pounds), the Almond Board is facing significant budget cuts. Every 100 million pounds represents $3 million in revenue to invest in ABC programs to drive global demand, ensure a favorable trade and regulatory environment, and maximize industry efficiency. So, we have a lot of belt-tightening to do. Thanks to those who responded to our recent grower research survey, we have quantitative data on the many resources, communication channels and events that growers find most valuable. And while we know print publications are still the preferred method for some, we also understand that with a growing industry, spanning multiple generations, it's important that we balance our outputs and measure the ROI on each effort. Back to the subject of The Almond Conference, we know gathering in person for this annual event still has value to you, because you told us so! In the post- conference survey after last year's return to an in-person conference (after going virtual in 2020), 97% of respondents from the 2021 event said they plan to attend the event this year. And based on early registration numbers (registration opened August 17), it looks as though 2022 may be our biggest event ever (will we finally hit 4,000 attendees?)! The conference planning team is already hard at work developing content for educational sessions with a focus on improving industry profitability. A sampling of session topics geared to growers include water supply, irrigation, fertigation, pollination, rootstocks and pest management. The Almond Conference Expo floor is filling up fast. More than 270 companies are expected to be on hand to demonstrate their products and services. It's the largest almond-focused trade show in the world, and it takes place right here in the Central Valley – less than a four-hour drive for every grower in California. The Expo will open on Tuesday afternoon with the Opening Reception from 3:30-5 p.m. (immediately following the State of the Industry Address). One big change we made this year, based on your feedback, is moving the Gala Banquet to Wednesday evening from 6-9 p.m. and adding a breakfast session at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning. Sessions will end midday Thursday, in time to get home before the end of the day. Visit Almonds.com/Conference for the full conference agenda and registration details. Make plans now to attend! Daren Williams Senior Director, Global Communications LEADERSHIP Daren Williams Senior Director, Global Communications DEC 6 – 8, 2022 Join us for the 50th Almond Conference! This year's conference is ramping up to be our biggest one yet! Help us reach more than 4,000 attendees and more than 270 companies on the Expo floor. More information can be found on page 7 or on our website Almonds.com. We would like to hear from you! The ABC Global Communications Committee will be discussing the future of How We Grow and other resources, such as the weekly In The Orchard email and Almond Journey podcast, at our meeting in October. Please email me directly at dwilliams@almondboard. com with suggestions on how we can best keep you informed on the latest research and happenings at ABC. 1

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