Pacific Nut Producer

This Week in Ag: Five stories you need to know from across California agriculture. This week, we're covering new funding to stop the spread of glassy-winged sharpshooter, a potential new tool for fighting navel orangeworm, free business training for producers, a USDA trade mission to Singapore, and a $2 million investment aimed at helping the tree nut industry overcome trade barriers. Stay informed on the issues and opportunities shaping California agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announced a $2 million project to support the development of cost-effective tools that help tree nut handlers control pests and maintain product quality while crops are in storage after harvest. Funded under the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative, this opportunity is part of a broader ASCE suite of investments for specialty crop producers, which include fruits, vegetables, pulses, potatoes and tree nuts.

UC Ag and Natural Resources and F3 are offeringfree skills training courses to help California growers navigate the hurdles of planning, marketing, social media, capital access and buyer engagement. Small- to mid-size growers, ranchers, fishers, food producers and food business owners are invited to join the Business Launchpad , a free, cohort-based business development program designed to help them build stronger, more resilient businesses.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announced it is now accepting applications for its upcoming trade mission to Singapore, scheduled for Dec. 7 to 9. FAS Agribusiness Trade Missions directly connect American agribusinesses with overseas buyers, expanding market access and boosting exports for U.S. producers.

If you are a Pistachio Grower, be sure to follow to stay updated on monthly tasks in your orchard. Share this with every pistachio grower you know. Read the full Orchard Tasks by Cristian Manzo and Reza Ehsani in the August issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

Planting an almond orchard has never been a simple decision. But in today's margin-tight environment, the choice of rootstock and variety combination is more than an agronomic preference - it is a 20- to 25-year business decision that can shape profitability, harvest efficiency, marketability and long-term risk.

California almond growers know the challenge navel orangeworm brings every season. The pest can reduce crop quality, increase production costs and raise concerns around aflatoxin and marketability. Now, new additional funding is helping continue an industry-backed research effort to advance another tool growers may one day be able to use as part of an integrated pest management program.

With this season's hull rot treatment window now behind growers, recent research shared by UCCE advisors offers timely guidance for evaluating disease pressure this year and planning more precise management decisions next season. Hull rot remains one of the more frustrating and yield-limiting diseases in California almonds, particularly because its full impact is not always visible in the year it occurs.

As of Aug. 11, 2026, importers of pecans from the United States and Mexico must pay provisional anti-dumping duties, in the form of deposits, following a preliminary ruling by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Aug. 10. Imports from the United States are subject to a deposit rate of 54.3% of the product value, pushing the total import duty rate for U.S. pecans to 86.3%.

American Pistachio Growers is marketing at the international level, and it's bearing fruit across the globe. This includes Mexico, where excitement over pistachios resulted in a new word in the country's vocabulary. Ines Masallach from Imalinx spoke with Matthew Malcolm about how American pistachios have exploded onto the Mexican market. Watch this quick video and learn more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.