Almond growers across Central California say they are battling a surging rat infestation across more than 100,000 acres of orchards, resulting in economic hardship and damage.

Across Fresno, Merced, Kings and Kern counties, almond farmers have reported an increase in rodent populations as the rodents use irrigation canals and other waterways to spread across agricultural fields and orchards, according to a newsletter from the Almond Board of California.

The impact could be significant as California is home to 80% of the world’s almond production. The Golden State’s almonds were once the top export to China but retaliatory tariffs have resulted in China looking for almonds from other nations instead.

The newsletter doesn’t say what kind of impact the infestation could have on almond pric

See Full Page