From Hulls and Shells to Irrigation Efficiency in Regenerative Almonds

Commodities

• Nuts: almonds

Practices

• Crop Production: irrigation, nutrient cycling, other

California almond growers are navigating tight water supplies, rising input costs, and the need to maintain productive, resilient orchards. Over five years at a commercial site, our team documented how almond hull and shell amendments improve soil structure, moisture retention, infiltration, microbial activity, and potassium nutrition. Those results provide a strong foundation for better nutrition and irrigation decisions.

This Local Education and Demonstration project turns that science into practical guidance. We will deliver producer led field days, virtual clinics, and trade press articles that show how to evaluate soil and plant signals, verify baseline irrigation, calculate simple water use efficiency metrics, and align fertigation, especially nitrogen and potassium, when hull and shell amendments are used. Materials will be bilingual and ADA compliant and will include factsheets, worksheets, videos, and trade publications for growers and processors.

Activities are sequenced to match what growers need, when they need it:

2026-27: Focus on published findings in soil health and nutrient cycling and what they mean for day to day management.

2027-28: Bridge into irrigation scheduling with clear, stepwise methods and decision checks.

2028-29: Share results from two years of irrigation efficiency research conducted in parallel at the same site and support early adopters.

The work is grounded at a cooperating commercial orchard, with Extension, industry partners, and technology providers contributing their experience. Evaluation will track knowledge gains, intention to adopt, and early practice changes using the Western SARE survey and short follow ups.

In summary, this project helps growers move from interest to action with clear, field tested steps that connect soil health, nutrient stewardship, and confident irrigation decisions. By engaging researchers, processors, advisors, and technology partners, it builds a collaborative learning network that strengthens grower resilience, supports informed management choices, and advances long term sustainability across California's almond industry.

By April 2029, among almond growers, PCAs and CCAs, Extension advisors, and processor partners, this project will reduce adoption barriers to prior SARE findings by building engagement, knowledge, and intention to act. Outcomes will be measured through brief pre and post event checks, the Western SARE survey, 120 day follow ups, and a Fall 2028 adoption check.

Engagement - Engage at least 100 unique participants and 200 total touchpoints across field and virtual events, with participation from growers, advisors, and processors documented through registration analytics and attendance logs.

Measured learning - At least 70 percent of participants correctly answer at least four of five items on a brief knowledge check covering soil health and irrigation effects of hull and shell amendments. Average self rated understanding increases by at least 1.0 on a 1 to 10 scale.

Confidence and intention - At least 50 percent of growers and advisors report increased confidence and state an intention to plan the use of hull and shell amendments or making nutrient and irrigation input adjustments in fields already managed with historic amendments.

Processor market signal - By Fall 2028, regional processors report at least a 30 percent increase in requests or deliveries of hulls and shells for use as soil amendments, compared with their 2026 baseline, documented by simple annual logs.

Grower adoption - Among participating growers who control amendment decisions, at least 20 percent report applying hull and shell amendments by Fall 2028 or executing a documented application plan with a processor partner.