Now is the Time to Prepare for Pecan Nut Casebearer

Red buds in bloom, bluebonnets are out and mesquite trees in leaf so spring has arrived early for many of us and all of this earliness has already led to some questions on pecan nut casebearer (PNC) management. As with many insects, PNC develops according to temperature and not a calendar schedule so knowing when…

Although it is early February, the recent warm days are a reminder that the beginning of a new year is just around the corner; it’s time to start preparing for another season. One group of early season insects that needs to be discussed at this time are the phylloxera. During May and June, county Extension…

Thousands of young pecan trees have been planted in the southeastern U.S. this winter, and they are primed to break dormancy and grow in the coming days. Few, if any, newly grafted pecan trees grow into a nice, central leader-shaped tree on their own. Without some efforts at training them, all these thousands of new…

Sometimes our eyes can betray us. The connection between what we see and what we know is very strong. Each feeds the other – seeing something adds to our catalog of knowledge, whereas having knowledge of something prior to seeing it can sometimes be limiting. An illustration of this occurs in the next case by…

Normally, still having acres left to harvest at this time of year would see me in a state of perpetual panic and worry. However, this isn’t a normal year. As most farmers in the U.S. know, California has been in the midst of a crippling drought. Most California growers have been almost completely reliant on…

As pecan growers enter the 2017 pecan year it is good to outline management practices and develop plans. Growers can use different types of management: establishment management, low vs moderate vs intensive orchard management, and native grove management. Texas production is in an alternate bearing cycle with 2017 being the “on” year, which means two…

The winter months are usually a time to wrap up marketing last fall’s pecan crop and get ready for a new pecan season. But recently, I took a short drive down the gravel roads in the Neosho River bottom to take a look at native trees in mid-winter. Along the road, I passed native groves…

Over the past five or six years, those of you that have heard me talk have heard me reference the number of different insects that feed on pecan. Years ago, just out of curiosity, I started to compile a list of insects that feed on pecan and currently my list includes 15 nut feeders, 101…

Information is available and registration for the Southeastern Pecan Growers Conference Feb. 24-25 in Biloxi is underway at the association’s website. The event will take place at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi. For more information visit the website or contact SEPGA Executive Secretary Vicki Jenkins, 662-902-1637.

Fertilization of mature pecan orchards by application of dry nitrogen (N) fertilizer to the herbicide strip (known as broadcast banding) can help reduce fertilizer costs and the amount of wasted N fertilizer being applied to pecan orchards by eliminating the fertilizer that was applied to the grassed middles. However, a number of growers have continued…

The Western Pecan Growers Association has set its educational agenda for the upcoming annual conference, March 5-7 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The program begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 6, with a welcome from WPGA President Kevin Ivey. He will be followed by an opening address from New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff…

Total 2 hours and 15 minutes | Makes 20 large cookies Ingredients 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup corn syrup 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups chopped pecans 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut Instructions In a medium sized bowl, combine coconut and pecans;…

The American Pecan Council continues to deal with the details of implementing the new federal marketing order for pecans. In a conference call meeting on Jan. 20, Council treasurer G.L. Straley indicated that a bank account would be activated soon. The pecan industry will be notified as soon as possible when the Council is prepared…

Pecan scientists get together for a national meeting every few years and the 2017 gathering will take place March 21-24 at The Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Charles Rohla, the manager of Noble’s Center for Pecan and Specialty Agriculture, has announced that scientists wishing to make a presentation at the event need to submit a…

Prep 10 minutes | Cook 20-25 minutes | Makes 5 dozen Ingredients 2 cups butter, softened 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons water 4 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups chopped pecans Additional confectioners’ sugar Instructions Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add water…

It has become abundantly clear in the past 10 years that mechanical topping and siding (hedging or mechanical pruning) is the best method currently available for light management in pecan orchards in the West. People have been experimenting with numerous different strategies for mechanical pruning for a very long time. In particular, I think we…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Mexico’s National Service for Animal and Plant Health, Food Safety and Quality (SENASICA) are committed to increasing transparency and strengthening monitoring and enforcement controls for organic products traded between the two countries. One important mechanism for achieving this goal is the use of import certificates….

Two regional pecan organizations will be hosting their annual conferences soon and registration is currently underway. The Southeastern Pecan Growers Association will meet Feb. 24-25 at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the Western Pecan Growers Association will convene March 5-7 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. To register, visit the online sites for…

Every new pecan grower wants to establish an orchard as fast as possible in order to establish a cash flow and pay off the land, establishment, development and production costs as soon as possible. Important factors in this new orchard process are ideal climate, soil, salt-free irrigation water, management, labor, money, available time, knowledge, and…

An international group of researchers, publishing in the journal BMC Medicine, analyzed 29 studies about nuts and health outcomes and found that daily consumption of nuts may help prevent heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness, and diabetes. In their review, which included data on more than 800,000 people, they found dramatic body-wide benefits for eating nuts….

Last month, Monte Nesbitt provided us with a great overview on biotic and abiotic stresses that pecan trees had to deal within the 2016 growing season. He also called out researchers and extension specialists (and I agree with him) for too often generalizing a problem with the “tree stress” response. Since I am as guilty…

Throughout my career, I have felt that in addition to assisting producers with annual pest problems, I also need to keep my eyes on the horizon for other potential pests that may possibly impact the industry. Two potential pests that are being monitored are the invasive tawny crazy ant and the brown marmorated stink bug….

Although harvest in the West got a relatively late start, pecan growers were actively gathering their crop in December after cold weather finally descended on western production regions. Prices were surging upwards partially as a result of the late availability and partially because other areas of the country have seen lower-than-expected quality and quantity, resulting…

These photos of harvest at Sunnyland Farms near Albany, Georgia, are certain to evoke the sounds, the smells and the feel of the earth moving for pecan growers who experience this special event every fall. These photos were taken by Emily Myers, executive director of the National Pecan Shellers Association (E.M. Connor Photography).   NPSA…