As water supplies become less available in the western U.S., some almond orchard owners in California, which account for 80% of the worlds production, are proceeding with a smaller harvest or are expected to abandon some production moving forward. Just last year, the almond industry enjoyed a record production area of more than 2,500 square miles. While kernel sizes are estimated this year to be relatively on par with previous years from a quality standpoint, USDA has estimated a 10% yield reduction (down 2.8 billion pounds) due to drought. Read more on almond production and harvest.