 Let's step back. Almonds have long been a major cash crop, bringing in billions of dollars a year. Exports have exploded, especially to India and China. And as demand rose, so did prices. Farmers planted more and outside investors gobbled up farmland, hoping to turn a profit. In the last 30 years, almond acres in California tripled. But pandemic-era shipping snags upended those exports. That left an oversupply that dropped prices to the lowest they've been in 20 years.