The Pecan Crop Corner: August 2020

A monthly column, The Crop Corner comes in response to popular demand from readers of The Pecan Newsletter and gives updates on the 2020 pecan crop. Created and published by Pecan South editors, The Pecan Newsletter provides weekly harvest and market updates from September through January by compiling reports from growers, as well as price…

Very much like the pecan tree itself, the roots of the pecan industry often get lost in the grand management scheme. Stretching back for generations, these roots provide stability, support, and the ability to grow taller, stronger, and more bountiful.  The USDA Pecan Breeding Program and National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans and Hickories…

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: 8261 Savage harvester $16,500. 4224 Savage gas cleaning plant $7,500. 400 gallon 5 nozzle sprayer, $2,500. Clifton, TX. Email David for pictures. hodge.david@sbcglobal.net, 214-597-1646 FOR SALE: Champion cracker, ready to work. #13 pockets. $2700. 918-331-8581 PECAN TREES: Bareroot Western Schley, Wichita, and Pawnee pecan trees, (Riverside Rootstock). For information, call Pena’s Pecan…

Stink bugs are serious, annual pests of pecan. Their feeding on developing nuts before shell hardening leads to “black pit” of the embryo and nut abortion. After the shell hardens, damaged nuts remain on the tree and are harvested. Stink bug feeding injury on nuts with hardened shells and mature kernels usually is indicated by…

Entering into the final stretch of the current crop year, the American Pecan Council updates industry members on its many activities, projects, and industry initiatives. This update on APC activities and ongoing projects include increasing pecan awareness, expanding industry efforts, and releasing accessible and transparent data for all. Marketing Successes – Increasing Pecan Awareness 2019…

Dear reader, It’s crunch time for many pecan growers across the United States and Mexico, and as we enter August, we head into one of the most crucial parts of the growing season: kernel development. Nut clusters hang heavy on pecan trees. Producers focus on perfecting their irrigation schedule and spray regimen. Shellers and handlers…

Pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS) is an economically important disease of pecan and is caused by the slow-growing bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa subsp. multiplex (Xfm)[1]. Xylella fastidiosa is native to North America, and there are several different subspecies of the bacteria that impacts a large plant host range. Due to the global movement of humans and…

Bryan, TX- The Texas Pecan Growers Association announced on Wednesday at its virtual conference the winners for the 2019 Texas Pecan Show.  Each year since the 1940s, pecan growers across Texas send in their pecans to be judged by variety in hopes to win a Grand Champion award. According to TPGA, “The Texas Pecan Show…

Mark Friesenhahn has a problem. It was the first week of June and his ‘Wichita’ trees were sitting in muck. The tailings pond at the 6-month-old quarry across the railroad tracks north of his orchard broke. The break flooded a good portion of his orchard with tailings, which Friesenhahn describes as “water and clay materials…

A new monthly column, The Crop Corner comes in response to popular demand from readers of The Pecan Newsletter. Created and published by Pecan South editors, The Pecan Newsletter provides weekly harvest and market updates from September through January by compiling reports from growers, as well as price and market information from reliable sources across…

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 Savage equipment for sale: (2) 2158 Shakers, 5132 Blower, (2) 8261 Harvesters, (2) Shell Blowers, (2) Crackers 238S, (9) Crackers 244S, Sprayer 5537, Sprayer 5740, (2) V-Sweepers…

Entering the full swing of summer feels a bit strange this year. In a season when we’re used to vacations, family reunions and neighborhood barbecues, this summer may look different for many of us. The impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic stretch far and wide, from major cities to small towns, and have affected so…

Pecan growers impacted by COVID-19 can apply for direct relief payments through the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program by submitting an application to their local Farm Service Agency office between May 26 and Aug. 28. Pecans are included among the eligible specialty crops for this program. According to the USDA, the total payment for specialty…

Dear Readers, If you’ve been reading Pecan South for at least a couple of months, you may have noticed that there’s one contributor whose name and articles appear between our pages without fail. Since 1987, Dr. George Ray McEachern has shared his pecan expertise and knowledge with us month after month, year after year, in…

Many important factors are working together to influence pecans’ profitability in Texas and across the Pecan Belt. Tree spacing, varieties, soil, foliar zinc sprays, nitrogen soil fertilizer, and integrated pest management are some of those factors discussed in Pecan South’s June 2020 issue. Over my 50 years in the pecan industry, I’ve learned that the…

The Texas Pecan Growers Association (TPGA) began at the dawn of the domestication of the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) in 1921 when the commercial pecan industry was in its infancy. Early pecan scientists focused on horticultural matters that established managed orchards and groves. Orchard acreage and production increased over time to catch up as wild pecan…

We’re off and running on another year of growing pecans! So, how many years has it been for you? Can you recall any two years ever being the same? At the moment, the season follows the same pattern as always. Some folks have a crop; some insist they don’t and will not harvest, while others…

INTRODUCTION The last several months have seen an increase in calls from the pecan industry for actual consumer research. These calls have largely been driven by the realization that we as an industry do not have a clear understanding of what motivates consumers to purchase pecans in either domestic or foreign markets (Nadler, et al….

Adult Gray Hairstreak, Strymon melinus. Credit: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.“Have you seen this before?” A common question that arises in early Spring as buds break and leaves unfold and development ensues. In late May and June, some pecan producers may even encounter nutlets with a tiny hole chewed out of it on one side. I wanted…

American Pecan Council released its May 2020 Pecan Position Report at the end of June. This most recent report continues to reflect months of significant change as the coronavirus spread across the globe and many countries begin to exit lockdowns. At the same time, when compared to last year’s numbers, this report illustrates a year…

I met Dennis Ring in the late 1970s when we were both graduate students at Texas A&M University. Dennis was working on casebearer (Acrobasis nuxvorella) and had seen evidence of infestation in nuts on trees of the Eli Whiteley memorial planting at Texas A&M University. I knew that planting was a hybrid swarm that included…

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 Savage equipment for sale: (2) 2158 Shakers, 5132 Blower, (2) 8261 Harvesters, (2) Shell Blowers, (2) Crackers 238S, (9) Crackers 244S, Sprayer 5537, Sprayer 5740, (2) V-Sweepers…