Low Cost of Almond Hulls

Almond hulls and shells are currently not valuable even though they are 75% of what almond growers produce. Currently, almond hulls and shells are mainly sold to dairies. The hull is used as cattle feed, and the shells are used as bedding. As dairy farm numbers decline, the market for almond hulls and shells has also declined and fallen in value. The hull of the almond is bitter and has been tested as an ingredient in energy bars and coffee. Farmers have expressed that their unit cost per acre has fallen since input costs, such as fertilizer and insecticides, have risen in price. This leads to farmers struggling to pay their bills since they only profit off a small portion of their crop, the almond seed.