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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUS farmers issue warning as staple holiday ingredient becomes increasingly harder to grow: 'We didn't see this ... coming'
During December, many people are on the hunt for holiday food staples such as turkey, ham, and pumpkin pie. Many delicious dishes served during this time of year feature one food staple that has several proven health benefits. Walnuts are a cooking necessity for many of us, especially over the holidays — but this year, they are taking a bigger bite out of grocery bills.
California's walnut crop was down nearly a third compared to 2023's harvest, and last year had a record drop of its own. "We finished quickly because statewide, the crop is down 28 to 30% over last year," Carriere Family Farm's Bill Carriere said, per FreshPlaza.com.
"As an industry, we didn't see this sharp drop coming," Carriere said. "At first, we didn't believe production would be down that much. However, a few weeks into harvest, we realized it was going to be even lower than the survey's estimate."
According to California Agricultural Production Statistics, crop volume dropped from 824,000 tons in 2023 to 670,000 tons in 2024. Industry experts think the overheating climate contributed to the drop in production this year. January through November in California was the sixth-warmest on record for the state, which endured multiple heat waves that set record temperatures.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-farmers-issue-warning-as-staple-holiday-ingredient-becomes-increasingly-harder-to-grow-we-didn-t-see-this-coming/ar-AA1wP4EF
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miyazaki
(2,649 posts)conditions. Farmers are on the pistachio boom here in central CA.
soldierant
(9,354 posts)(and cashews) are not in the same family as walnuts. What they are in the same family as are poison oak, poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison wood. But don't worry, they are perfectly safe to eat. I only bring it up in case anyone reading this has been diagnosed with an allergy to "tree nuts." If that's you, cashews and pistachios may be safe for you. Check with your doctor.
GreatGazoo
(4,606 posts)Squirrels bury them. Forget them. They sprout and grow quickly. I have a walnut tree 70+ feet tall by my back fence and its babies would overtake my house if I let them.
In the recent book, 'Farming the Forest' they talk about strategies for farming New York state where only about 20% of available farmland gets used. The book includes a graphic which is a map of the east coast with overlays of the outline of Georgia moving steadily northward to illustrate how the climate of Georgia (prime for ag) is moving north. Our state government HATES agriculture so not sure that any increase in farming is likely.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(135,702 posts)The squirrels usually pick it over before I can get any.
Teacher of the Year
(229 posts)LOL...I have a regular city lot...50'x100'. I have 19 trees, I bought two of them. The rest are all from squirrels and Mother Nature.
Every year I murder a whole new batch of baby walnut trees and I feel terrible!! But, I felt really bad about the oak tree that sprouted up between my house and the neighbor too...so I left it for a few years so it could "have at least a little bit of life." Well, apparently it is this MASSIVE type of oak that grows like crazy the first couple of years. I was super busy, not paying attention, then it was too big to chop down myself. Then it grew about 50 feet of height in a year and VIOLA, just like that it is now too big to cut down without a special permit, and while we tried to figure that out, it grew a whole bunch more and we had to have tree people come. $2500 later the tree is shaped to fit between the houses but it is a monster tree.
Thank you squirrel.
FakeNoose
(41,631 posts)I would gladly buy one or two from you.
Retrograde
(11,419 posts)that the NYC region does. A shame, since the state produces some fine agricultural products, from dairy to fruits to cooler season vegetables to wines (OK, the wines still need some work IMHO, but they're getting better). When I visit western New York I make a point of going to the local farmers' markets, especially during apple season. With climates changing and with the supply of water from the Great Lakes New York could be as important a producer of produce as California is now.
Igel
(37,535 posts)And there's a lot of folk that like the idea of "edible landscaping." Companies founded on it. Why have a live oak when you can have a loquat? Ornamental bush when you can have a satsuma or lime or Meyer lemon tree, climate pending? Why maple when there's astringentless persimmon or Asian pear or low-chill apricot? Hosta? No, edible ornamental kale. Rosemary can be ornamental, mint (including cat nip) spreads like crazy, and even the lavender you use in food is nice looking. Instead of pretty wisteria, a grape vine covers the same territory.
These all require a bit of effort, to be sure. One Thanksgiving it was cold and the yam groundcover died back. I dug up the yams and we ate them. The sunscreen plants on trellises shading our back patio didn't look bad, but it was Asian long beans one year, "Malabar spinach" other years. (The beans worked better.)
One friend long ago had not a useless pine near her driveway but a bay laurel tree.
There is, or at least was, an NGO in Houston that organized volunteers for edible landscapers. You'd contact them and say your satsumas or loquats or whatever is/are almost ready for harvest and a few days later people come and strip off the harvest and transfer it to a food bank.
Why have oaks and maples when you can do as the Algonquians did? Seed the forests with mast, , on purpose or intentionally. Think of it as urban silviculture.
If your tree canopy's isolated, put up squirrel-prevention devices on your trees (they're wily, them thar rodents) and beat them to the yard before they steal your nuts.
soldierant
(9,354 posts)Made into porridge, they caused at least one author to forget lunch, although normally his stomach notified him it was lunchtime like an alarm clock. Did I mention they are filling?
Diamond_Dog
(40,575 posts)
Lochloosa
(16,734 posts)Retrograde
(11,419 posts)who has some pecan trees, they're much more expensive than walnuts. I know someone who brings pecans back from her annual trips to Texas, so that keeps me supplied for a bit
PeaceWave
(3,383 posts)
Walleye
(44,803 posts)
Teacher of the Year
(229 posts)But to be fair, we took the land the squirrels use to forage and they had to adapt to survive. They wouldn't be stealing from us if we weren't taking their forests.
I think of that giant redwood that is now just a stump. Largest living thing on the planet was chopped down for shingles and toothpicks. Imagine how many squirrels lived in that tree alone.
(sorry, I like squirrels, and, yes, they are a pain, but my house cat has done much worse things to me than a squirrel ever has. I've been bit by two dogs (one on a beach in the middle of nowhere in Cuba...that rabies threat was a fun ordeal), two cats (one bite so infected ended up in urgent care) and only bit by one squirrel.
The dog also ate 15 plates of cookies and fudge I made for the neighbors.
Dogs -3
Cats -2
Squirrels -1
Squirrels win by default.
PeaceWave
(3,383 posts)That's just crazy talk. 
soldierant
(9,354 posts)Of course, a naked mole rat would be cuter than most Republicans
ck4829
(37,761 posts)Teacher of the Year
(229 posts)Didn't see that giant train, 18 feet tall and a mile long, with the giant engine and the horn thundering through the air...
Pull your head out of the sand and look around walnut growers. It is about to get a whole lot worse.
BUT, you know, some rich dude will give you $100 for your walnut tree to make into veneer to put on some chipboard coffee table that you won't be able to afford.
haele
(15,398 posts)The Hatch Chili crop was half of what it normally would be. They had freezes all through spring, then almost immediately afterwards 90 degree heat waves and high, dry winds all summer.
Mom normally has a veggie garden, established apple tree and a fruiting mulberry, plus a couple dry environment grape vines.
This year, no bell peppers, tomatoes or greens made it through two weeks after sprouting once the heat wave hit; grapes dried out after they started developing,
apples drying up before they got to two inches in diameter, mulberry flowers dropping off before they could fruit. Only the neighbor's nopales cactus that's been wandering slowly into her backyard through the fence had fruit, and even then, the fruit was really small and shriveled.
Same thing happing all over. We need water and sustainability efforts to grow food and a quality of life for people and the planet in general. And yet, because Fracking and Bitcoin servers can buy water at higher prices than agriculture and municipalities, Corporations and Politicians (and think tanks) want to believe the needs of the Profits outweigh the needs of the People or the Environment.
Think. Again.
(22,456 posts)Are they trying to trick their crop insurance companies with that excuse or something???
usaf-vet
(7,811 posts)..... because of global warming, you have a good argument. But with the worldwide denial that the environment is changing, we can't expect farmers with decades of historical data to flip a switch and know what is happening the next day, weeks, or months what to expect.
A story related to global warming that I have experienced. Forty years ago, we moved to the shores of Lake Superior to be near family. The family members out here were and still are hunters and fishermen. I had to learn about those seasons and what to expect.
It would be an understatement to say that their lives revolved around those seasonal sports. Husbands and, in some cases, the wives would get out their deer rifles around Thanksgiving for "deer camp."
The schools closed for deer season (one week). The wives that weren't hunters would use that time to gather with other female friends and have quilting camps for the week (for example).
As Christmas approached, the outdoor folks got ready for ice fishing, which for decades started when the ice was safe. The year I moved here, it was "iced up" before Christmas. The traditional start for the family was the day after Christmas. It was out onto the frozen bay to drill holes and ice fish.
As I write this on January 2, 2025, the lake is still open water, and there is no snow on the ground. And no one knows when it will be safe to fish. This change in global warming is shortening every outdoor activity in untold ways.
Motels and hotels used to be able to count on ice fishermen showing up for the week between Christmas and New Year's with money to spend on bait, gear, food, and drink. Not this year, for sure. Usually, in years past, hundreds of fishermen would be out on the bay.
Today, there were none. The ice fishing season used to last from late December to April 15th, when all overnight left equipment had to be off the ice. Historically, ice-outs occurred within a week of April 21st. Last year, it was the first week in April.
Global Warming—it is that simple. It has cost this community, with small businesses losing income and many closing. Farmers see the same loss and uncertain future. Meanwhile, the people in charge deny it is happening and do nothing to change it.
Think. Again.
(22,456 posts)...of the scientific evidence for climate chaos that has been available to the public for the last 40 years or more.
To pretend they "didn't see this coming" is disingenuous at best.
usaf-vet
(7,811 posts).... no fault of their own. Small mom-and-pop variety stores went out of business because Walmart had enough political pull, lawyers, and a standard set of promises they never intended to live up to. And the city "father" bought their BS and granted the permissions.
Mom and Pop motels that closed when they couldn't rely on year-round seasonal customers.
And for the farmers, what would the choices be if you couldn't change to keep up with the changes that nature brought?
Now, a new president is threatening to eliminate all seasonal help while promising to reduce the cost of groceries. We all know that shortages of fresh produce will rise if the crops aren't harvested.
Think. Again.
(22,456 posts)We've watched for years as corporate greed has ruined our nation bit-by-bit. Your example of walmart, the healthcare industry, and others, especially the fossil fuel industry, are hellbent on doing anything they can to get themselves excessive profits at our expense.
The climate changes being brought are not "natural", we know that.
Hiding behind false ignorance, pretending we "didn't see it coming", or playing blind as they are doing it all, only encourages and empowers them.
We do their work for them.
Bristlecone
(11,111 posts)
PoindexterOglethorpe
(28,493 posts)How many pounds per year do most people eat? How does that compare to potatoes, or chicken, or even kale?
Teacher of the Year
(229 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 2, 2025, 08:14 PM - Edit history (1)
Walnuts are by tonnage/$
Kale is by dollar amount.
The US (2nd largest exporter of walnuts) grows almost 30% of the walnuts eaten in the world (the center of growth being California). (747,000 Metric tons with a value of 7.87 BILLION dollars in exports).
The second largest exporter of Kale is the country of Georgia. They exported $84,000 worth of kale in 2024. The next largest is $68,000, then it drops to $24,000 for 4th place and $5000 for fifth place, 6th place is half of that.
With walnuts, the 4th place is the entire EU with 170,000+ metic tons. ($276,000,000 of walnut exports-when you compare that to 4th place kale ($24,000) it is a slaw-ter.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(28,493 posts)And yet, it's still not entirely clear to me just how important a part of what people eat consists of walnuts.
RockRaven
(19,370 posts)I get a rough estimate of 2/3 of a pound of walnuts per person per year, globally. And at 3000 Calories per pound of walnuts, that is one full day's food energy for every person on Earth each year.
Teacher of the Year
(229 posts)Thank you RockRaven.
We don't cook much meat in hour house. If you open our cupboards you will find bags of: walnuts, almonds, pistachios, often mixed nuts and I do love to use fresh-baked filberts on a salad.
Of those, only walnuts are on a regular delivery from amazon. We have 19 trees full of squirrels and birds and crows on our property and we are five blocks from volcano-turned giant park full of trees and greenery. We throw out walnuts in the bad weather.
Our family of crows will politely let us know if they are hungry. I've had the same crow family who hang out in my yard for 25 years. I saved an unconscious crow from a bird in 2000 or so (in front of a crowd of 50 crows or so) and one family of crows, (I think the injured one and her husband, then a baby) started hanging out in my yard all the time and clucked at me like chickens, got real close. That baby grew up, then another baby, one of the original couple disappeared, so the remaining bird got older and whiter and spent all day, every day in my yard with the newest baby bird, Several baby birds grew up and flew away, but one stayed when the grandpa/grandma bird disappeared, and it has been like that through, I think, four generations of the same family.
I garden a lot so the babies are raised with me wandering pretty close by. I do not ever use food to get close to them, but they know I am a reliable source. In winter, if it snows, they will come to the porch and sit on the railing and stare into the living room. How do you say no to that? I have watched a lot and know that they only do that when they are hungry and they eat it all up. The stuff I throw in the yard is often carried away to be hidden for later. So, they only ask when they are hungry.