Effective Pecan Weevil Management is Multi-Step Process

During the first week of August, I received two calls concerning the collection of adult pecan weevils — one from Kimble County in southwest Texas and one from northeast Texas along the Red River. These collections really did not surprise me and actually reinforces the data that pecan weevils can begin emergence during early August….

Most scientists don’t get too personally attached to the plants they work on because sooner or later they will likely be cut down or otherwise destroyed. However, most other humans look at a full grown tree and think, “You want me to do what? Cut it down? Are you crazy?” What’s best is not always…

Spring precipitation amounts in 2015 and 2016 have been truly impactful on agriculture in Texas, replenishing lakes and reservoirs, recharging deep soil strata with water and bringing discussions of historical droughts to at least a temporary halt. The 2016 pecan crop bears marks of these El Nino-influenced rains in many areas of Texas. The marks…

Flory Industries, headquartered in the heart of the California Central Valley, has just released the newest model of their self-propelled nut harvesters: the Flory 8700. The Flory 8700 combines a host of improvements over models released even a decade ago, from computerized in-cab controls to extra-thick safety glass windows. What sets the 8700 apart, however,…

The other day I was up at our local pesticide distributor to pick up some chemicals when I got into a conversation with a neighboring row-crop farmer. The topic of deer damage came up, and he mentioned that every year deer create the same unique browse pattern along the edges of his fields. That simple…

I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked about or heard someone comment on the great potential for the pecan market to bottom out a few years down the road thanks to all the new acreage being planted. Make no mistake, anything that goes up is bound to come down at some…

The recent TPGA meetings in San Marcos, Texas were great and we learned how the Texas crop is shaping up for 2016. The crop from Brownwood to El Paso looks good and could be 15 to 20 million pounds. The rest of the state has 35 million bringing the best guess at this time to…

USDA released its final report on production and prices regarding the 2015 pecan crop on July 8 (see chart), stating that the U.S. produced 254.3 million pounds of pecans in 2015, in-shell basis. USDA did not issue a preliminary summary of the 2015 crop in January as has been done in past years. On July…

Approximately 600 people gathered in San Marcos, Texas, for the annual conference hosted by the Texas Pecan Growers Association. Opportunities abounded for interaction with vendors from throughout the country, education for novice and experienced growers, and valuable information exchange among fellow producers. The popular Embassy Suites venue with hotel and conference center under one roof…

I lost a good friend in the pecan industry on the 28th of June. Mr. Jim Graves, 91, passed away of natural causes on that day. Jim came to the pecan industry late in life after a successful career in the tunnel construction industry. Jim was a naval officer in World War II in the…

As the growing season enters the hot dry months of mid and late summer, pecans can be subject to infestations from several potential serious foliage pests that may need to be controlled. Insects such as black pecan aphid, yellow pecan aphid, walnut caterpillar and scorch mite can all cause premature foliage loss, which can/will impact…

The Texas A&M Pecan Orchard received over 12 inches of rain in May 2016, making it the second highest rainfall May in history for the area. The weatherman says we have 4 days with more than 50 percent chance of rain the first week of June, so more water may be on the way. The…

Members of the Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas Pecan Growers Associations kicked off another year with the Tri-State Pecan Convention June 16-17 in Alexandria, Louisiana. The participants were treated to a morning in a nearby orchard, a trade show and a day’s worth of educational seminars. The show started at Woodside Farms near Alexandria, Louisiana, owned…

The New Mexico pecan industry lost a loyal supporter on June 5 when Karin Davidson died unexpectedly from a heart attack just days before her 57th birthday. Here are portions of an obituary published after her death. “Karin was born June 11, 1959 in Albuquerque, NM, to Karl and Ruth Gustafson, who preceded her in…

The Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association packed plenty of information into a one-day program during its annual conference in Tulsa on June 3. The field day on June 4 at Mike Spradling’s Flying G Ranch was somewhat disrupted by heavy rain at the beginning but some attendees waited it out and enjoyed an abbreviated version and…

I recently served as the U.S. Pecans Project Manager for the 2016 SIAL China trade show, a component of the 2016 U.S. Pecan Growers Council (USPGC) China Unified Export Strategy (UES). Our objective for the show was to showcase/promote U.S. grown pecans in the China country market, to share information, and improve knowledge on pecan…

At the time of this writing, producers in Texas are past first-generation pecan nut casebearer, are experiencing June drop and I think have a better feel for their potential crop. When it comes to protecting a crop from insect pests, most of us think of pecan nut casebearer, pecan weevil, stink bugs and hickory shuckworm…

The Texas Pecan Board will hold elections in August to elect 3 board members where current members’ terms are expiring. The Board was established in 1998 after pecan growers throughout Texas voted into effect a one-half-cent-per-pound pecan assessment to provide funds for promotion and research. Nine pecan producers serve on the board. Board members whose…

Rain!!… what a beautiful thing… just seems to be too much at times. But, my, does it make things grow, especially pecans. It seems like we have been talking about drought and the devastation it was having on native trees along rivers and creeks that had gone dry forever, and today we are talking about…

The Texas Pecan Growers Association annually sponsors the Fred Brison Scholarship, given to a horticulture student at Texas A&M University. The 2016 recipient was named April 9 at a TAMU awards event. Recipient Victoria Soledad De Leon, center, is working on a bachelor’s degree in fruit and nut production. Also pictured is Dr. Dan Lineberger,…

This spring I have attended a number of pecan and commodity meetings at the parish, state and regional level. As I have talked with growers and processors of various commodities, it has become apparent that Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)/Good Handling Practices (GHP) Certification is gaining in importance and use across the nation. This type of…

The Texas Pecan Growers Association anticipates a full house at its July 10-13 95th Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Embassy Suites and Conference Center in San Marcos. In mid-May, over 160 hotel rooms were already reserved and the trade show was almost sold out. The educational program will provide timely snapshots of current…

I recently was asked to discuss improving soil and root health in pecan orchards at the Comanche County Pecan Workshop in Texas. During my research on this topic, I discovered that soil cover, soil disturbance and plant diversity are often overlooked, but are critical in the production of pecans. There is a lot of literature…