It’s almond harvest time, and the crop is booming and shaking

As the 2017 almond harvest gets underway, California growers may see their biggest crop ever.

California's almond boom has hit 1 million acres, covering a total area bigger than the state of Rhode Island, according to The Associated Press.

Machines will be shaking almonds off trees beginning this month to the tune of 2.2 billion pounds of nuts.

Surging demand for almond snacks in Asia has helped make almonds California's richest agricultural export, passing wine grapes and other crops, the AP reported.

California provides more than 80 percent of the world’s almond production.

The doubling of the state's almond acreage since 2000 is controversial because the state has frequent droughts, and nut trees can't be fallowed in a dry year, but the Almond Board of California says the state has the most efficient almond growers in the world.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 10:02 AM with the headline "It’s almond harvest time, and the crop is booming and shaking."