Beating the Rain

Despite a gray sky Tuesday, the rain held off and allowed almond farmers to continue bringing in the crop.

Since August, farmers have been shaking the nuts from the trees and letting them dry on the ground, then picking them up with machines that deposit them into trucks. They have been doing this with far fewer dust clouds than in the past, thanks to improved equipment.

Orchards in California will produce about 1.35 billion pounds this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

The state produces more than 80 percent of the world's supply. About a third of the state's crop comes from Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties.