AF: Talking about strategic plan, what role have you played in moving the plan forward thus far ? MM: I’ve been working with Rebecca Bolton on Blue Diamond ’s finance team to update and optimize the premium schedule. As our technology improves, we’re working to match the costs of processing the almonds with the values we can earn in the marketplace to incentivize and reward growers for the quality almonds they deliver. Obviously, these values need to consider the costs growers incur in producing the best quality crops. We’re also launching a variety optimization project. Nurseries and the USDA have been launching quite a few new varieties, and more are under development. Growers will often ask, “What do you want me to plant ? What does the cooperative want or need ? ” But this is a complex decision. On the growers’ side of the equation, there are interactions between soil, geography, weather, water, and rootstocks. That must all be considered. Some of the options growers have may not be the best choice for the applications Blue Diamond needs nor the markets we serve. Some of the attributes we need or favor the most may not be the best choice for growers. Obviously, planting an orchard is a long-term commitment and a serious investment. Current university data places planting an orchard at $12,000 per acre. Adding the annual
productions, which have increased significantly, can result in 11 to 13 years to break even on the initial investment. We want to be sure that the almonds our growers can produce will bring them the highest possible net return. That ultimately requires strong correlation between what the growers can produce and what the Cooperative can do with that production. AF: Could you share what it means to be an ambassador for Blue Diamond and the almond industry ? What does that look like for you moving forward ? MM: There will be components in the legislative, regulatory, and educational environments. While my term as a director on the Almond Board is ending, I’ll still be deeply involved in work at the Board committee level. I’m on the Integrated Pest Management Program Advisory Committee for the UC. Then there‘s industry relations; over the past few years I’ve been working with the honey bee industry to understand their issues as they relate to the supply of strong colonies for almond growers. I frequently present to Pest Control Advisors and growers on pest management issues and the economic implications to growers. Finally, as ambassador, I will work to enhance Blue Diamond ‘s reputation in the local community and with industry partners. I am all about the practical application. That’s why I‘m here. So, in this case, with the university,
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