Almond yield, crop forecast grow again in 2025
Published 3:12 pm Monday, May 19, 2025

- The 2024 California almond crop was the third largest ever for the industry and the 2025 harvest is expected to top that by 3%, coming in at 2.8 billion pounds. (Courtesy California Almond Board)
California almond growers experienced higher yields and prices in 2024, resulting in a harvest value of $5.66 billion, a 40% increase over the previous year, according to a new USDA report.
The forecasted yield and production for 2025 are both up in a separate USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service forecast released May 12.
“The larger crop estimate is what the industry experienced after a solid water winter and generally good weather during bloom, but it’s also a testament to the hard work done by almond farmers throughout California,” said Clarice Turner, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California.
“Demand for California almonds around the globe continues to grow and our almond farmers constantly deliver, producing high quality California almonds to meet that demand,” Turner said, in a news release.
Past season, looking ahead
Almonds were the leading U.S. tree nut for every major category in 2024.
The crop was the third largest ever for the industry at 2.73 billion pounds shelled, up 11% over the previous year.
The 2025 harvest is expected to grow another 3%, coming in at 2.8 billion pounds.
Yield jumped 200 pounds per acre to 1,980 pounds in 2024, and that’s expected to rise another 30 pounds this season.
Almond bearing acreage was essentially unchanged at about 1.38 million acres in 2024 and that is expected to expand slightly to 1.39 million acres this season.
The price per pound of $2.14 in 2024 — the best mark in five years — was an increase of 42 cents from the previous year and 74 cents over 2022.
An official with the Almond Board of California said the organization couldn’t discuss prices as it administers a federal marketing order.
Calls or emails to five California almond handlers regarding 2025 prices weren’t returned.
Bloom details
This season’s bloom began the first week of February in the Sacramento Valley and peaked during the middle of the month, according to the USDA forecast.
The weather during bloom varied throughout the state, with storms bringing heavy rainfall, wind and hail.
Crop development in the San Joaquin Valley was slower than normal due to cool temperatures and lower bee flight hours.
However, conditions improved in early March with warm temperatures accelerating the crop’s progress through the end of bloom.
Significantly lower yields were reported with the Nonpareil variety due to a lighter flower set than their pollinators.
The impact of orchards from the intense summer heat in 2024 continues to be assessed.
About the forecast
The USDA’s California almond subjective forecast is based on opinions from 500 randomly selected growers who responded in late April and early May.
The sample of growers changes every year and farms of varying sizes are included.
The subjective report is followed up by a second production estimate on July 10 that’s based on almond counts from about 1,000 orchards.