Walnut producers across the state struggled with drought conditions and water availability, as most of the state is in a drought emergency. However, since raw walnuts have an excellent long-term storage period, this product is the go-to nut product for the brewing community. Nationally, California is the nation's number one nut producer, accounting for nearly all of the nuts produced in the U.S. UU.
Commercial nut cultivation can also be very cost-effective in California, and the environment is ideal for growing walnuts. While Costco generally has the best prices per ounce, not everyone needs a jumbo size bag of nuts and can finish them before they go stale. In addition, farmers can plant high-value crops such as raspberries, blueberries and others, since the wide space between walnut trees allows for the cultivation of secondary crops. Selling directly to large companies is probably not feasible, unless you grow nuts on a large scale.
The United States is the second largest producer of walnuts and accounts for approximately one-third of total world production.
