America’s almond craze – per-capita consumption doubled in the past seven years – “has come at a cost,” says Bloomberg. Prices are up by $1 per pound from last year and growers feel the strain of the fourth year of drought in California, the largest almond producer. Says Bloomberg, “The burgeoning assortment of almond products is in danger of becoming too costly for most consumers.” Peanut butter sales fell by 4 percent during 2014 while specialty nut butters, including almonds, jumped by 22 percent. Jif, a mainstay among peanut butter, was the first national brand to roll out creamy and crunchy almond butter in 2013.
Jack Cato, manager of a 660-acre alfalfa farm in the Imperial Valley, says he cut water usage by nearly half by switching to drip irrigation, says public broadcaster KPBS in San Diego. “Subterranean hoses deliver water right to the roots of Cato’s alfalfa. It’s an immense savings considering the four-year-old drought, but Khaled Bali, an irrigation adviser for the University of California, says drip irrigation won’t work for everyone. Sandy soils are better-suited to it than heavy soils, and installing the underground piping required is expensive.
Cato says his system has not paid for itself after six years of use, said KPBS. There also is a learning curve on how much water to release through drip irrigation. And the underground system can spring leaks that must be repaired. Traditional “flood” irrigation costs less to operate and maintain, but it consumes more water.