Navel organgeworm infestations have cost almond growers $393 per acre on average and pistachio growers $262. This adds up to about 8% and nearly 4% of revenues, respectively.
To determine those numbers, UC Davis ag economists studied three years of data on tree damage, costs for management practices, reduced revenues, and threats to food safety and trade.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here.
Silver lining: The researchers found that even in years of low nut prices, the returns from deploying integrated pest management practices to combat NOW easily outweighed the costs.
