California walnuts keep making gains

California walnut growers this season have turned out a record yield for the third straight year, producing nearly 502,000 tons. The current season’s crop – an increase from the 436,013 tons harvested and processed in 2009-10 – continues a fairly consistent decade-long trend of increases.

Here are some updated statistics, courtesy of the California Walnut Board.

California walnut production
2010-11: 501,446 tons
2009-10: 436,013 tons
2008-09: 434,301 tons
2007-08: 323,082 tons
2006-07: 344,334 tons
2005-06: 354,218 tons

Top varieties
Here are the leading varieties of walnuts harvested in California in 2010:
Chandler: 208,086 tons (41.5 percent)
Hartley: 70,420 tons (14.04 percent)
Howard: 54,780 tons (10.92 percent)
Tulare: 46,812 tons (9.34 percent)
Serr: 36,367 tons (7.25 percent)
Vina: 35,796 tons (7.14 percent)
Others: 49,185 tons (9.81 percent)
Total: 501,446 tons (100 percent)

Top 10 counties
Here are the top 10 California counties in terms of walnut production in 2010:
San Joaquin County: 88,225 tons
Butte County: 73,570 tons
Tulare County: 63,820 tons
Stanislaus County: 50,225 tons
Sutter County: 46,345 tons
Tehama County: 39,399 tons
Glenn County: 31,110 tons
Yuba County: 23,154 tons
Kings County: 16,547 tons
Yolo County: 13,167 tons

For more details on the state of the walnut industry, check CapitalPress.com soon.