Welcome to the Carriere Family Farms and Borges of California Newsletter

 

 

President’s Corner
By Bill Carriere, President

I was fortunate enough to attend the Issues Management trip with the Walnut Commission back in Washington DC at the beginning of May.  Each year the Walnut Commission sends a small delegation to meet face to face with agencies such as the USDA, EPA and Foreign Ag Service to discuss issues important to the walnut industry.  We also met with selected representatives or their assistants about the issues facing the walnut industry.

It is important to make the time count when making these visits so we focused our meetings on just a few key issues.  We expressed the importance of Methyl Bromide to our industry and encouraged regulators to use common sense in choosing reductions to its use until a viable alternative is found.  We thanked the USDA and our representatives for supporting the industry with the recent $30M walnut purchase for the school lunch program.  We made it clear that we only ask for such a purchase when we need it, and haven’t had to do so since 2004.  We encouraged them to also fight to keep the Market Access Program (MAP) fully funded for the next fiscal year.  President Obama’s proposed budget would reduce the program from $200M down to $160M.  We were encouraged by their support of our position and feel confident that the amount will be restored to help us continue our promotional programs in our key export countries.  We also continued our push for passage of a Korean Free Trade Agreement.  This agreement was already passed in Korea and would eliminate the current import duties of 30% on shelled walnuts.  Korea is one of our fastest growing markets and is poised to overtake Japan as the number one importer of shelled walnuts in Asia.

While it seems that nothing moves very quickly in Washington, it is important to keep our voice heard and our issues in front of the policy and decision makers.  It is extremely true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  An occasional $50 contribution doesn’t hurt either, but the important thing is to continually voice your opinion.  Think what you will about the process in Washington, and the new administration, but most of  our elected officials and bureaucrats have our interests in mind.  Write your representatives often and let them know what your interests are.

We want you, the grower, to know that we are accessible to answer your questions from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday-Friday.
During harvest we will be open everyday from 7:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. Sept. 1– Nov. 20

OFFICE:

Maria Escalante (Documentation & Logistics)
Toni Burnworth-Cartwright (Accounting)
Lisa Carriere Berman (Grower Representative-Grade/Payment Info)

Lisa cell phone: 530.518.2496
E-mail:lcarriereberman@carrierefarms.com

Quality Control

Due to the fragility of the shelling equipment, and to insure the highest quality end product, it is important to remove all foreign material from your walnut delivery.  We take great care to keep a fair quality assessment of each load.  This allows us to identify the source of the foreign material and could result in a higher offgrade percentage or the load being returned to the huller to be reworked.  Thank you for your adherence to quality of your walnut deliveries.

Domestic and International Market Trends

A view from the sales desk…
By Matt Doyle

The 2008 crop season has been like no other in history.  Not only did we achieve record crop production levels, we also experienced the most dramatic price drop in history.  Some of the price decline can be blamed on the record crop but, the overall world economy was the biggest factor.

As we head into spring, things appear to be looking up for a few different reasons. First, as the price bottomed in late February, Turkey and China accelerated the amount of inshell they typically purchase. For example, last year at this time, Turkey and China had received 13.3 million pounds of in-shell walnuts. Through April of this year, they have received 50 million pounds. Secondly, a lot of overseas buyers held off covering their summer/fall demand until prices had settled. Now that prices have settled, buyers are looking to cover this demand.

On the other hand, not all regions are showing positive signs.  The U.S. market continues to be a drag on overall walnut industry.  Last year at this time, the U.S. market had received 128,000 tons.  This year, they’ve received 114,000 tons.

Going forward, there’s a lot to be excited about in the walnut industry.  For those that didn’t see the press release, USDA announced a $30M purchase of walnuts for the school-lunch program.  This will be a great vehicle to help stimulate the lagging domestic walnut market.  In addition, Loma Linda University just released their findings of a study that links the Omega-3 benefits of walnuts to the same as eating fish.  This is a major breakthrough and confirms what we’ve known all along that walnuts are the healthiest nut on the market.

For more information on the school-lunch buy and all the health related research, go to http://www.walnuts.org/inthenews/press_releases.php

Solar Panels Installed

In an effort to cut energy costs and to use “green”  energy, we have installed solar panels on the roof of the sheller and on a storage shed at the north end of our property.  Over time, these steps will help us cut down on our energy costs, thus passing the savings on to you, the grower. Come see our full operation at 1640 Hwy 45 Glenn, CA.