A young pistachio orchard pictured this year in Yolo County. California growers hope the global market can absorb more pistachios as the state’s bearing acreage continues to increase. Valley News/Caleb Hampton photo
Hannah JohanssonAg AlertWith pistachio harvest wrapping up this month, California growers are expecting a potential record crop.Initial projections of up to 1.8 billion pounds of in-shell pistachios diminished this fall as harvest progressed, though growers still expect yields to surpass the state’s 2023 record of 1.5 billion pounds, according to recent market reports. From 2018 to 2022, the Central Valley saw a boom in new pistachio orchards, with growers planting more than 30,000 acres per year. Last year, the state’s bearing acreage increased to 488,000, more than double California’s pistachio acreage a decade prior.As the wave of recent plantings begins coming into production, growers said they were hopeful the global market can absorb more of the sta
