Letter from the Editor: “Imagining the Next Decade”
Happy New Year! Happy New Decade!
Although I’m writing this in December of 2019, I imagine how I’ll feel when you all read this, and we’ve officially entered 2020.
2020—it sounds so strange. Can you believe it?
This January provides us with a moment of reflection and preparation. As we enter into this new time, we look back on all those years before and decide how this next decade will be better than the last.
2019 closed out the decade in a positive way. Although the market wasn’t back to the way it was in its prime, it showed some improvement. Growers sold nuts; shellers and buyers found new customers; American pecan consumption rose, and the China market opened up a little bit.
After devastating storms and disappointment, industry members made strides toward recovery and pushed through various challenges. These past ten years, the pecan industry blossomed and changed and became something wondrous. I’m telling you, the future is bright. Different obstacles arose; obstacles we never expected to see for pecans, but we’ll face them just as we faced all the others. Incredible opportunities popped up; some of us grabbed them by the horns and took this industry to new heights, while others confronted their own struggles and did what they could.
Unfortunately, not every year in this past decade was a great one, but that’s how it goes. And each day, we push through a bit harder, a bit wiser, and a bit older.
I can’t promise that 2020 will be a great year, and I can’t guarantee that this entire decade will be fantastic. But like last year, I head into this new year with hope and a resolution to enjoy each day.
As I write this letter, I imagine us all joyful, hopeful, and a bit stressed—because that’s life. No matter what, though, I pray your next ten years were better than the last.
Happy New Year!
Catherine Clark
Managing Editor
