Almond Board of California
The Almond Board of California represents approximately 6,800 growers and 104 almond handlers. The Board traces its history back to 1950 when the Federal Marketing Order for almonds, which was primarily concerned with compliance and research, was established. The ten-member Board is elected and consists of five growers and five handlers.
The work of the Almond Board of California covers production, nutrition and market research, advertising and promotion in domestic and international markets, quality control and statistical analysis and market access/technical issues. When it comes to following sustainable agricultural practices, California Almond growers and handlers together are continuously challenging themselves to do more.
The California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP), which was established in 2009, leverages much of the research and expertise related to almond production. The modules cover water, air quality, energy and land (nutrient management, pest management and bee health), in part to better understand the ongoing sustainability practices of growers as well as to provide continuing education on these topics. Recently published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research demonstrated that almond trees accumulate and store significant amounts of carbon during their 25-year life cycles, and that with expansion of certain practices, the almond industry could become carbon neutral or even carbon negative.