Are you getting the best price for your walnuts?

Members of the Walnut Alliance of California are eligible to receive a comparison of grower prices received for California walnuts published each year. The most recent report includes information on prices reported by a sampling of walnut growers for the 2023 crop year.

Handers included in the report are labeled A through Q to ensure anonymity. Prices are listed by the final in-shell price per pound for the Chandler variety for an equitable comparison. Prices are based on grower payment reports and quality details are included in a ‘Comments’ column.

Information gathered is believed to be from reliable sources and presented in a fair, consistent manner.

We encourage walnut growers to look closely at this report. Its purpose is to provide information on how the price you received from your handler compares with others throughout the industry.

Information is power and the Walnut Alliance’s ultimate goal is for the entire industry — handlers and growers — to be profitable. We believe this can only be accomplished through transparency, understanding and unity.

Summary: 2023 Grower Price Report

Nutcracker

BACKGROUND

Looking back over the past few years, it’s clear the California walnut industry has experienced a rollercoaster ride.

Starting with the 2021 crop, we had strong contracts at profitable levels, but soon after, things took a downturn. Shipping delays and contract cancellations, combined with excessive rain, created inventory backlogs and quality issues that lasted through 2023.

The 2022 crop brought its own challenges, with extreme heat during harvest damaging the walnuts and shortening their shelf life. Thankfully, USDA purchases helped offset some of the losses, but prices still took a hit.

In 2023, we produced what many considered the highest quality crop yet, but an unexpected surplus led to further price declines. This left many growers struggling, with some choosing to cut back or abandon orchard care altogether.

As we look to the 2024 crop, there’s reason for optimism. Excellent quality and strong demand, particularly due to issues in Chile’s crop, have reduced our inventory and raised prices. With this supply and demand shift, it appears California walnuts will return to profitability. If all goes well, we’re positioned to compete for a fair share of the global market in the coming years.

2023 REPORT FINDINGS

The Walnut Alliance of California Grower Price Report for 2023 indicates that most prices paid to growers were well below profitable levels no matter which handler was involved. In fact, virtually all of the prices reported in our survey were well below break-even for growers, which is estimated to be in the range of 75 to 80 cents per in-shell pound.

Unfortunately, far too many handlers paid a range of 35 to 40 cents per pound for good quality in-shell Chandler variety nuts, which equates to under 90 cents per kernel pound. These can only be considered as very poor prices. Others were in the range of 49 to 55 cents in-shell, which still does not reach break-even for most growers.

Members of the Walnut Alliance of California may contact us for additional details on pricing and other information that appears in the report.