Almond grower Dennis Yotsuya has a small orchard in Cortez, California. Through winter sanitation and mass trapping, he has been able to avoid hull sprays for navel orangeworm in recent years. Yotsuya describes his approach and the benefits he has seen in reducing damage from the pest.

“Even though I didn't spray much, what intrigued me was that once you put a trap out, it works all the time. Whereas the people that are spraying, you had to hit these certain windows of time to be effective. So, I thought that was an interesting idea. I knew it was more advantageous to use a product like that.” - Dennis Yotsuya

Elonce Peterson created a trap that monitors and traps navel orangeworm females during first flight. The idea came while counting eggs as a field scout for Integral Ag. Peterson wanted an easier way to monitor navel orangeworm activity while providing more accurate and reliable data to growers.

In today’s episode:

• Meet almond grower Dennis Yotsuya; and Elonce Peterson, creator of the female navel orangeworm trap
• Explore the experiences Yotsuya has had with managing navel orangeworm without having to spray
• Discover Peterson’s process in developing the female navel orangeworm trap and the advantages his system offers

The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.

ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.