Tiny Titans: Lady beetles make a big impact on pecan aphid management

Across the pecan industry, insecticide use is both common and critically needed for management of economically damaging pests. Pest species that directly attack the nut, in addition to the black pecan aphid, demand immediate action with a reliable outcome to prevent economic damage. In these cases, it is understandable that an insecticide application is often the…

PECAN TREES: 5 gallon container grown. Easier planting, better survival. Las Cruces, NM. Wichita and Western Schley on Riverside rootstock. Les Finley, 575-642-6788 Call or text PECAN TREES: Bareroot Western Schley, Wichita, and Pawnee pecan trees, (Riverside Rootstock). For information, call Pena’s Pecan Nursery, 3 miles south of Las Cruces, NM 88047; 575-525-9062. USED EQUIPMENT…

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it can be a good thing to look back and see what happened in 2025 and the events that led to the results of your harvest. I know I am talking to the “choir”, but the drought remains firmly entrenched in many parts of Texas. See the current drought monitor….

President Trump Announces Agricultural Economic Assistance Program Including Specialty Crops On December 8, 2025, President Trump announced the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program – a new agricultural economic assistance package, totaling $1 billion reserved for specialty crops. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins is leading efforts to study the market impacts and economic…

A newly published literature review in the journal Nutrients brings together the current body of research on pecans and human health, offering a high-level assessment of what scientists know so far and where gaps remain. Rather than presenting results from one experiment, this review evaluates findings from more than 90 studies to summarize the nutritional…

Dear Readers, I am excited to announce the winner of our Annual Harvest Photo Contest: “A still morning during a busy season” by Jill Montz. Congratulations, Jill, and thank you for sharing your beautiful photo with us. Readers can find the winning image featured on our cover. This year, we received entries from all over…

Pecan South January 2026  advertisers share their products and services between the pages of this issue. Below, we present a full list of our January 2026 advertisers and their contact information.   Air O Fan, (559) 638-6546 American Pecan Promotion Board, 817-916-0020 Bergen Ag Innovations, Inc. , +1 432-788-4600 Big Star Hardware Eastern Plains Insurance Corp….

History and Types of Biological Control Biological control is defined as the use of living organisms to suppress the population of a specific pest organism, making it less abundant or less damaging than it would otherwise be (Eilenberg et al. 2001). The practice of biological control has ancient roots. For example, as early as 324…

Winter is here, so it may seem like a really strange time to read an article about irrigation. Not too much irrigation happens over winter in a pecan orchard. Maybe it is strange to read about irrigation now, but it won’t be very long before a new growing season is upon us, and we’ll be…

As I sit down to write this article, I find myself at The Almond Conference 2025, being held in Sacramento, CA.  This year’s conference theme is “Cultivating a Healthier Future”.  While many of the presentations are centered on developing new almond products and identifying new markets, as with almost any nut crop conference, there is…

As we kick off 2026, the American pecan industry enters the new year with fresh insights and a new strategic campaign informed by our latest perception and consumption study. These learnings not only validate the work already underway but also help guide the path forward and position the industry for a year of true impact….

On the edges of the Hill Country, where the San Saba and Colorado Rivers wind through groves of ancient pecan trees, two Texas stories, separated by generations, found an unexpected intersection. One story began in 1877, when the Oliver family settled on this land and planted the roots of an agricultural legacy that would span…

Many of you will already have received the immensely sad news that Ross Burling, CEO of Stahmann Farms and Stahmann Webster for more than a decade and a stalwart of the pecan and broader tree nut industries for most of his life, passed away last week after a prolonged illness. Ross’s wife Carissa has asked…

Kathryn Wright Littlepage, 91, a resident of Colfax, Louisiana, passed away peacefully in her home on December 11, 2025. Born in Zwolle to Bessie and Willie Wright, she was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin Meek Littlepage; her parents; and her sister, Sharon Ricke. In 1957, Kathryn married Ben Littlepage, and together they raised…

The January 2026 Classifieds features available equipment, property, trees, services, and more from industry members. These classifieds can also be viewed at the back of the January 2026 issue.

Happy New Year, dear readers! I hope 2026 is treating you well so far. I know that pecan prices are up this year compared to last, which is leaving many growers smiling as we head into the new year. With the close of a successful harvest, we now enter a lull as we come into…

Root health is the most overlooked factor in pecan productivity. When trees decline, attention often turns to foliar nutrients, water availability, or soil fertility. Yet the real story begins belowground—within a complex system that most growers rarely see. Healthy soil and healthy roots are not synonymous. A pecan orchard can have biologically rich, well-structured soil…

For years, we have been taught that the way to be more profitable is to increase production. Higher yields per acre lead to a more efficient and profitable operation. In fact, for some, this metric, production per acre, is the bragging rights that validate your success as a producer. However, in today’s agricultural environment, chasing…

Alternate bearing in pecan trees, also called biennial bearing or masting, describes a cyclical pattern in which a tree produces a heavy crop in one season (the “on” year) followed by one or more seasons of light or minimal production (the “off” year). While this inconsistent fruiting behavior occurs in many perennial fruit and nut…

In the Southeastern U.S. production region, profitability depends mainly on two factors (excluding price) — volume of production and scab resistance. These two variables largely determine net profit in a pecan operation. They take into account output by the tree and the cost of production. In doing so, they cover two of the three legs…

Prep Time: 1 h 45 mins Naturally sweet pecans combine with gingerbread and maple caramel in this show-stopping dessert. Poached pears are placed in the middle of the cake for a beautiful presentation when sliced. Ingredients For the poached pears: 2 cups apple cider 1 cinnamon stick 6 cloves 3 small pears, peeled (cored from…

Dear Readers, As we move through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what an exciting and informative year it has been. As many of you may know, I am relatively new to the pecan and agricultural industries, and I have spent my first year…

The American Pecan industry is closing out the year with strong momentum by capitalizing on the time of year when pecans are in the spotlight on many holiday table spreads around the country. However, the American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB) is doing it in a way that brings new value to the supply chain and…

The December 2025 Classifieds features available equipment, property, trees, services, and more from industry members. These classifieds can also be viewed at the back of the December 2025 issue.