Walnuts in California

[3] Black walnuts are an important foodstuff for indigenous Californians, including the Yokuts, who also use the hulls in their traditional dice.

Hot asphaltum is poured into the empty shells, then pressed with beads made from Olivella sp.

William Wolfskill, who is considered the founder of the first commercial orange orchards in California, also planted hard-shell English walnuts in the Los Angeles Area.

Other early walnut growers of both hard- and soft-shell varieties include Russell Heath, Frank E. Kellogg and William Huston Nash, and W. E.

[5] Around the same time in 1870, Felix Gillet, a nurseryman in Nevada City, California, was importing scion wood and nursery stock from France.

He grafted and budded the French cultivars for commercial use and used a selection program for his seed to cultivate new varieties of walnuts suited for California.

[7] Growers eventually accepted that the Paradox hybrids had superior attributes being more vigorous and disease resistant to crown and root rot.

From 1945-1968, their extensive walnut-breeding program created seedlings which exhibited desirable traits such early production, moderate tree vigor, pest and disease tolerance, and high nut quality.

The rapid increase in acres planted to walnut and lack of organization resulted in prices fluctuations and buyers unfairly competing with one another for commissions.

[10] Walnut production was the seventh most valuable agricultural commodity in California in 2017, valuing at $1.59 billion in cash receipts.

[16] In September 2019, a trade deal was reached between the United States and Japan, reducing and eliminating tariffs on key agricultural goods.

Walnuts have been significantly affected by trade disputes, facing high tariffs in China and Turkey, losing an estimated $700 million as a result.

One study by the University of California, Davis, sets out specific guidelines on and the costs associated with establishing an orchard and producing walnuts.