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WALNUTS Background The "English" walnut, originating in Persia, is produced commercially in many countries of the temperate zone. The United States leads in walnut production, followed by Turkey. Other Mediterranean countries (especially Italy and Yugoslavia), Eastern European Countries (the USSR, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary), and Asian countries (India, and especially China) also produce substantial quantities. Once the United States was a major importer of walnuts. As the domestic indus. try matured and adopted quality standards insuring uniformity of product, imports were gradually displaced. In the 1960s, U.S. pro. duction was mainly for the domestic market with exports representing less than 3 percent of the total supply. By the 1989s, exports represented from one fifth to one-third of the farm -level value of the crop. The supply and disposition of U.S. pro- cessed walnuts comes under a federal market- ing order administered by the Walnut Mark- eting Board. The board specifies marketable domestic and export percentages and also per- centages for the in -shell and shelled markets. Besides competing in world markets with other export -oriented walnut producing coun- tries, U.S. walnuts are very close substitutes with pecans, produced in the southern states. The board must consider these competing fac- tors along with crop and carry-over size in determining marketable percentages. The marketing order also implements standards for grades and sizes of the U.S. product and administers research and product promotion programs. Commercial walnut production in the United States is now limited to California and a very small acreage in Oregon. Early in the 20th century, significant English walnut acreage was located in Oregon and southern Washington. In the 1940s and 1950s, about 10 percent of the nation's production came from there. Occasional severe early freezes, wind storms, a black -line graft union 79 disorder, and strong competition from Califor- nia, reduced commercial acreage to only a few orchards. In the early 19509, the in -shell domestic market represented about 60 percent of total utilization. Part of the remainder was exported, also in -shell. The rest was shelled for use by bakers, confectioners, ice cream manufacturers, and households. Changing tastes and the convenience and attractiveness of packaged, shelled walnuts was such that by the early 1960s over 60 percent of walnuts for domestic consumption were shelled and by the 19709, about 70 percent. Meanwhile, exports have expanded until they represent one-fourth or more of the crop. Most exports are in -shell. Another change is that demand for walnuts used to be seasonal, associated importantly with the fall and holiday season. Now, walnut marketing efforts of both shelled and in -shell products have successfully encouraged year-round walnut consumption. Since the 1950s walnuts have changed from mostly a hand -harvested crop to being entirely mechanically harvested. This has allowed for improved timeliness in this quality -sensitive operation. The kernel is mature when the surrounding "packing tis- sue" is completely brown and the nut has enough oil to hold its shape when dried. If harvest is delayed, kernels may darken and their quality deterioriate. California's Walnut Production As were so many of the state's fruits and nuts, English walnuts were first brought to California by the Franciscan fathers and planted near the missions. California's first commercial orchard was established in the 1860s at Goleta, near Santa Barbara, using seeds from Chile. Varieties imported from France (Franquette and Mayette) were planted in northern California in the late 1800s. Today, some 6,000 growers manage the state's nearly 200,000 walnut acres located mostly in the interior valleys. The Hartley, preferred for the in -shell trade, is the most prevalent of the over 38 varieties reported by the California Crop and Livestock Reporting Service. The Hartley had 28 percent of the state's walnut acreage 13.3-34 e