At R&G Fanucchi, Jason Giannelli reported Kerman yields averaging 224 kilograms per hectare across 61 hectares, compared with 3,138 kilograms per hectare for Golden Hill. It is a striking spread from one pistachio season, and a reminder that a statewide crop estimate can smooth over what happened in individual blocks. Ag Alert reported the comparison.
California’s 2026 harvest is estimated at 655 million pounds, after the previous year set a record at 1.57 billion pounds. The decline reflects both the trees’ alternate-bearing cycle and a March heat wave, according to FreshPlaza’s crop report.
Heat at the wrong stage
For ten days, temperatures topped 32°C during pollination. Male flowers opened early, pollen was sterilised and female buds dropped, leaving less room for the crop to recover once the heat passed.
Growers also reported more blank nuts and unsplit shells, alongside reduced yields. The damage was not simply a matter of fewer nuts on the tree; some of what remained did not develop into the saleable product a handler needs.
Price signals meet orchard variability
In Yolo County, farmer Ray Yeung described the price response to a light crop: “With the light crop, the pistachio price is really high right now.” His observation puts a market consequence beside the field-level one: a smaller harvest can tighten supply, while the actual return still depends on what each orchard brings in. Ag Alert published Yeung’s account.
A national forecast is useful for market planning, but it is not a yield promise for a California block. The contrast in reported cultivar results, and the uneven effects of bloom-time heat, make orchard records a more practical guide for estimating local harvest and processor intake.