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If you’re growing tree nuts in California, July is not the month to coast. This is when serious growers get locked in.

Between the triple-digit heat, rising pressure from pests, and a critical window for decision-making, this month sets the tone for your harvest and your bottom line. I’m on the phone every week with growers, consultants, researchers and processors. One thing is clear: July rewards the growers who plan ahead and execute with precision.

Here are the top 5 things you need to be dialed into right now.

1. Water Smarter, Not Harder
It’s hot, water isn’t cheap, and every gallon needs to count.

If you’re still irrigating by feel or on a fixed schedule, it’s time to get more strategic. July is when evapotranspiration rates peak and your trees are pushing for nut fill. This is where pressure bombs, moisture probes and aerial imaging earn their keep.

Ask yourself: Are your emitters performing? Are your trees under stress during key growth stages? Are you overwatering in heavier soils? Look at the data and walk your fields. One PCA I trust told me, “If leaves are curling at 2 p.m., you’re late. Flat and healthy? You’re good.”

2. Don’t Guess on Hull Split, Know
If you’re in almonds, hull split is knocking.

This is the moment when being early, or even just on time, can protect your crop. It’s also when guys who wait for their neighbor to spray lose ground.

Don’t wait for the signal. Go check your blocks. Shake nuts. Slice hulls. The best PCAs are already walking orchards and mapping out block-by-block timing. And with this year’s unpredictable weather, uniform timing is out the window.

The key: Make decisions based on your orchard, not the calendar.

3. Navel Orangeworm: It’s Go Time
Whether you’re in almonds or pistachios, NOW pressure is building. July is when all the prep you did or didn’t do comes into play: mating disruption, winter sanitation, spray timing, all of it.

Trap counts are climbing, so don’t sit back. Adjust your rotation plan. Dial in your timing. Talk with your PCA about when the next flight is coming and how to get ahead of it.

NOW won’t wait. It won’t forgive bad timing. Make every move count.

4. Get Your Harvest Crew in Order Early
By August, everyone will be fighting for labor. You don’t want to be the grower making last-minute calls from the field.

Now’s the time to secure your crews, tune up your machines, prep your roads and get bins ready. Mow your borders. Confirm your delivery windows with processors. Make sure your field is harvest-ready before it needs to be.

The guys who plan ahead will get the best support. Period.

5. Marketing: Secure Profit, Don’t Chase Hope
Markets are moving, but they’re still unstable. Global supply remains heavy, shipping is hit or miss, and volatility is the name of the game, especially with almonds and walnuts.

Don’t try to time the top. Talk to your handler. Lock in what covers your costs. Be smart, be flexible and have a floor under your price strategy.

Pistachio growers, keep an eye on export signals out of Asia and the Middle East. Almond growers, watch the pulse in India and China.

Bottom line: A solid plan beats a gamble. Profit beats hope.

Final Word from the Truck Cab
Look, I know July is tough. It’s hot. It’s stressful. And everything feels like it matters because it does.

But the growers who win this season are the ones who take control now, not later. Don’t try to do it all on your own. Use your team. Lean on your PCA. Stay connected with West Coast Nut. We’ve got your back with the latest info, field-tested advice and real conversations.

And hey, if you ever want to talk shop, vent or trade insights, I’m just a call, DM or podcast episode away.

Here’s to a strong and smart July.