Yara Incubator Farm - Modesto, CA

Modesto, CA

The Yara North America Incubator Farm in Modesto, California is a center for research, solution trials and knowledge sharing. Through collaborative efforts with customers, partners, and various technology providers, Yara utlizes the farm to study and advance insights into all aspects of the cropping system.

Utilizing 40 acres of fertigated and established almonds, and 40 acres of irrigated and established walnuts, Yara and its partners will be able to gather many layers of data and intimate knowledge of every aspect of the cropping system over the coming years. The field scale research at the farm will provide valuable insight into the conditions and challenges that growers and advisors face.

In addition to research, the Incubator Farm will also act as a place for partnerships with industry organizations to develop long-term relevant solutions for growers through collaboration. The farm is available to Yara’s retail partners to give their customers the opportunity to see first hand the benefits of a complete crop nutrition solution.

Four-year Trial Review

For over four years, Yara has been implementing controlled practices with the goal to evaluate different crop nutrition management strategies that address site-specific demands to different degrees and evaluate the programmatic effect, crop response, and the associated economic and environmental impacts. These treatment protocols have been in place since the 2020 crop year with considerable variation in results due to factors like wildfire smoke, frost events, poor pollination conditions, and intense heat. We have managed these trials with the utmost care and have consistently produced valuable insights during our tenure at the Modesto Incubator Farm. We see this work as a critical service to the almond industry in light ever-evolving regulatory, environmental, and producer prosperity challenges facing our advisors and growers.

Click/tap on the booklet to view the Four-year Trial Review.

Find below some of the key results.

6% Increase in Nut Set

12,000 flowers buds surveyed per treatment
Impacted by carbohydrate reserves, nutritional status, water management, and abiotic conditions response

24% Reduction of Hull Rot

4,400 nuts surveyed per treatment
Impacted by water management, and nitrogen status early and at hull-split

18% Yield Increase

Each row harvested individually
Combination of all management factors

15% Increase in Grower Profitability

+$2,400/ac total over baseline

Net profit after accounting for input costs
True measure of economic viability for long-term implementation

Baseline Program

Static program
N from UAN-32™
K₂0 from SOP™
NPK+Zn foliars during development
K+Zn & B foliar at hull split

Modified Program

Static program
N from YaraLiva^® CAN-17™ & UAN-32™
K₂0 from SOP™
NPK+Zn foliars during development
K+Zn & B foliar at hull split

Improved Program

Reactive program
N from YaraLiva^® CAN-17™ & CN-9^®
K₂0 from SOP™
NPK+Zn foliars during development
K+Zn & B foliar at hull split
Additional adjustments made during season to address deficiencies

MyAlmonds Program

Dynamic & proactive
Tailored to crop demand curves
Addressing deficiencies before they occur
Balanced ammoniacal and nitrate N sources
High frequency/low vol strategy (16 fertigation events to deliver nitrogen vs. 4 in other programs)
Comprehensive nutrition management

Listen to the latest podcast on the Modesto Incubator Farm

Learn more about work being done at the Incubator Farm in Modesto

Almond Orchard Balance: Commercial Requirements vs Tree Needs

Learn how you can balance the process of drying down the trees for harvest and, at the same time, support bud development for next year's crop.

How to mitigate hull rot in almonds

Devin Clarke shows us how hull rot disease looks like and discusses how it can be mitigated with a comprehensive nutrient management program.

Managing research priorities in a heavy crop year

Learn about the efforts required to maintain a research project like the incubator farms. Watch a demo of how to account for branches that had to be removed on the crop's yield.

Support photosynthesis today, for this and next years' crops

With the busy daily activities on a farm, photosynthesis often stays out of farmers' minds, but it's the most crucial process for a plant not only to be able to produce a crop but to thrive year in, year out.

May Farm Update: Heat Stress

Devin Clarke discusses heat stress in tree nuts, what it does internally to the plant, how it impacts this year's crop potential as well as the formation of next year's crop, and how crop nutrition can help mitigate that stress.