Early Harvest Helps Almond Growers

A warm spring and hot summer mean an earlier harvest for almonds throughout the California.

Harvest is expected to begin this week around the Bakersfield area and by mid-August in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties.

Almond grower Dave Phippen in Ripon expects his harvest will come in about 2 weeks early and he says that's good news.

"It has less exposure to worms that attack our crops so the quicker that we can get them in, an early harvest is thought to decrease worm damage and the second thing we can all celebrate is a dry harvest so if we can get the nuts out of the fields before the rains come that's a victory for the growers," said Phippen.

This year's almond crop is predicted to be only slightly smaller than last year's record.

75% of the world's almonds come from California and almonds are the state's top farm export.