California’s almond bearing acreage dropped slightly this year for the first time since 1995, according to an April 24 report by Land IQ.

The state lost 600 bearing acres — less than half a percent. Bearing almond orchards at harvest are estimated at 1.37 million acres.

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The Land IQ report was released April 24, and created for the Almond Board of California.

The report also forecasts that nearly 71,000 acres of almonds will be removed by the end of the crop year, adding to 83,000 acres pulled out in the 2023-24 season.

The orchard removals continue a trend of overall almond acreage decreases in California in recent years.

A November report by Land IQ found that California’s total almond acreage dropped two years in a row to 1.56 million acres.

Bearing acreage includes orchards planted before 2022 that have matured enough to produce a crop for the coming season.

“We continue to see strong shipments this year, so we know global demand for California almonds continues to grow,” said Clarice Turner, ABC president and CEO.

“There is no doubt that almonds will continue to have a very significant role in California and global agriculture and food industries for the foreseeable future,” Turner said in a news release.

California almonds background

The drop in almond acreage shouldn’t be surprising, as the industry had a period of explosive growth followed by sustained record low prices, high interest rates and rising costs.

Its new report is a snapshot of the coming 2024 harvest but does not offer an estimate on the upcoming almond yield. The first prediction for the crop will arrive in May with an estimate from the USDA.