Why Mulching Matters

In 1994, I was interviewing for a job with Auburn University and was being toured through the E.V. Smith Research Center near Shorter, Alabama, by Bill Goff, Professor in the Department of Horticulture. Dr. Goff was giving me an overview of active research projects on pecans at this central Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station-owned research center….

ATLANTA, Georgia — Commercial chefs’ appreciation for the versatility of pecans continues to grow thanks to the National Pecan Shellers Association’s (NPSA) annual Pecan Chefs Summit. The most recent Summit, a series committed to immersing research and development chefs into the world of pecans, convened in April in Birmingham, Alabama. Chefs experienced the flavors, food…

Prep 20 minutes | Cook 1 hour 20 minutes | Serves 4   Ingredients 1 pound red beets 1 pound yellow beets 1 pound tricolored baby carrots 1 large Vidalia onion, diced 2 tablespoons pecan oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted 4 large…

Pecan grafting has never been easy. Olives have been grafted for over 2,000 years, but the first successful pecan graft was not until 1845 by Antoine at Oak Alley Plantation just north of New Orleans. Nurserymen were able to whip graft below ground in the early 1900s and the rough bark patch bud was used…

The 2016-2017 winter at College Station, Texas was the warmest in the last 45 years. According to the U.S. Weather Service via Underground Weather and “Get Chill Hours” on the web, we received only 368 hours of winter chilling below 45 degrees Fahrenheit from Nov. 1, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2017. From 1969 to 1974,…

In a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies published in BMC Medicine (Aune et al), researchers looked at the association of nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), total cancer, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in adults. Higher nut intake (15-20 grams/day or 5-6 servings/week) was associated with reduced risk of CVD,…

ATTENDING GEORGIA PECAN GROWERS CONFERENCE IN MARCH—This contingent of growers from northern Coahuila, Mexico, were on hand for the Georgia Pecan Growers Association annual conference in Tifton, Georgia on March 29 and especially pleased to be mentioned in Pecan South. From left: Julio Valdez, Margil Fernandez, Rodolfo Chavarria, Romulo Garza, Andres Bergen Wiebe, Benjamin Ortiz,…

Tubac Golf Resort and Spa south of Tucson, Arizona, was the setting for the recent National Pecan Shellers Association’s Mid Winter Meeting. Attendees heard interesting reports from Jim Zion regarding the marketing efforts by the American Pistachio Board and on the topic of drought impact on tree nuts by Paul Brown of the University of…

Most pecan growers are understandably eager to get young pecan trees into production. Aside from weed control, the two most important factors in doing this are irrigation and fertilization. Until recently there were no research-based recommendations for these two very important requirements. Before I get into these two topics, a word about site selection. The…

We are rapidly approaching bloom in our pecan orchards in the western growing region. As I write in early April, catkins are already visible. It won’t be very long before we’ll see the female flowers start to appear as well — giving us a little glimpse of the cropping potential in our orchards in 2017….

The Georgia Pecan Growers Association packed a big crowd into a new conference venue in March. GPGA’s annual conference took place March 29 at the University of Georgia Conference Center in Tifton. Richard Heerema of New Mexico State opened the educational program with new information on zinc management, with a key point being “we are…

Four feet or eight feet is the question. I am referring to the size of a nursery tree that you purchase to plant in your new orchard. My following comments will surely raise rebuttals from some individuals in the pecan industry but such is the nature of the beast. I was told by an old…

Not long after I started my career as the pecan IPM agent with Texas Agricultural Extension Service (as we were called back then), I had a producer from East Texas complain about some insect that was attacking and killing his young pecan trees. At that time I was more concerned about pecan nut casebearer and…

The huge interest in planting pecans in the United States over the past five or so years continues and is easily evident when driving through pecan-growing regions of Georgia. National Pecan Company is one of the entities actively expanding current and new acreage of pecans. National’s director of farming operations Tom Stevenson recently escorted Pecan…

 “When do I fertilize?” “When do I spray for casebearer?” “When do I control pecan weevil?” These are just a few of the ‘when’ questions I field every year from both new and experienced pecan growers. And with an early spring this year, everyone seems confused about timing orchard operations. I could reply with a…

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller will be announcing approval of a major new weapon in the ongoing war against feral hogs in Texas. Commissioner Miller has approved a rule change in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) that classifies a new warfarin-based product as a state-limited-use pesticide for control of feral hogs. State-limited-use pesticides…

The Southeastern Pecan Growers Association congregated in Destin, Florida at the end of February for its 2009 annual meeting. Growers came to learn from the seminars as well as talk to other growers about this year’s crop expectations and the economy. The meeting covered a number of topics including pest and disease management, newly released…

The dawn of a new growing season is upon us once again; it really seems like we just finished the last season and here we go again. What a unique winter and early spring it has been—hardly cold in some areas, but still those areas had two arctic blasts and the cold from those spells…

The last couple of weeks have been busy, beginning with a trip to Mississippi for the Southeastern Pecan Growers Association Conference. That was followed by a trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the Western Pecan Growers Association Conference. While both educational programs provided information on a wide range of topics, the meetings also allow…

The dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom and trees are breaking bud so a new season is upon us—ready or not. There will be a lot going on this year with the Texas pecan IPM program so for this month’s column I would like to list a few things that the pecan IPM group…

The American Pecan Council convened in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Feb. 23, prior to the Southeastern Pecan Growers Convention and took several more steps toward being fully functional. The remaining two seats on the Council were filled: J.B. Easterlin of Easterlin Pecan Company in Montezuma, Georgia, was elected to the Accumulator seat on the board, while…

Pecan growers now have a new risk management tool beginning with the 2018 crop year, which runs from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. AgriLogic Consulting of College Station, Texas completed the development of the program in conjunction with a number of state and regional pecan grower associations and by working with industry representatives…

  Sunlight and clear skies have a significant impact on pecan production. At the recent Southeastern Pecan Growers conference in Biloxi, the University of Georgia’s Lenny Wells explained that the 70-80 percent clear skies enjoyed by growers in the western U.S. and in Australia paves the way for different management approaches versus the typical 60…

Recently I gave a presentation on transitioning to micro-irrigation at the Western Pecan Growers Association conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I thought I would present the same information here so that I can expand further on some of these considerations and reach some growers who may have missed the conference but are considering this…