New Mexico Loses Stalwart Supporter Karin Davidson

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…

Recently while I was out grocery shopping with my wife, we ran across a display of pecans and while there was nothing new or exciting about this display two things did catch my eye. These pecans were a pretty creamy gold color and not the mahogany brown that I was accustomed to seeing and they…

Over the past week or so I have had several questions concerning some insects that seem to line up and down the new growth of pecans and then run around the other side of the stem when disturbed. And along with producers’ curiosity of this critter is the question, “Do I need to treat for…

Valdosta, GA — April 18, 2016 — A project that began some 3 years ago with the goal to create a nut butter made from pecans has come to fruition. Purely Pecans is a newly launched brand, bringing to the market a smooth and creamy butter made from 100 percent pecans. There are no additives,…

The first Texas A&M pecan orchard was established in the early 1900s by E.J. Kyle, then Professor of Horticulture and instructor of the HORT 418 Pecan Class. The trees were at the northwest corner of campus at the intersection of FM 60 and Union Pacific Railroad. The planting remained until removal for construction of the…

Georgia pecan growers gathered in late March for education and interaction with commercial exhibitors at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. The event was the association’s 51st annual conference, which drew a hefty crowd of both large and small growers. GPGA President Brad Ellis presided over the two-day gathering that was launched with a golf…

The water-soluble fertilizer industry is alive and well. Unverified sources place the annual gross sales of water-soluble fertilizers around the world at $12.2 billion dollars, involving over 13 million tons of products used worldwide each year. Water-soluble fertilizers may be used in injection systems in greenhouses, nurseries, orchards, livestock feeding systems, and row crop production…

Most native pecan growers have areas in their groves that have dozens of young trees along fence rows or popping up in open areas among mature trees. Fence-line pecan trees are often moved using a tree spade into open areas of the grove to help fully utilize available land area. The bottom line is that…

The pecan industry lost a significant leader with the death of Robert Kensing on March 26, 2016. His love of pecans was unmatched and his outstanding leadership of the Texas Pecan Show Program was the very best. Bob’s first love of pecans began as an undergraduate in Professor Fred R. Brison’s Pecan Culture course at…

Every pecan grower wants to establish a new orchard as fast as possible with the trees trained as a central leader with the first scaffold limbs at least 5 feet above the ground. However, many fail to understand training or pruning young trees is not job one. More important needs are good soil, salt-free irrigation…

During the growing season there are several major nut-feeding insects such as pecan nut casebearer and pecan weevil, whose occurrence in an orchard can be anticipated and, if needed, treatments are applied based on trap collections and stage on kernel development. These two pests are generally considered the two most important nut-feeding insects of pecan…

The Texas Department of Agriculture announced recently the 2016 Coordinated Hog Out Management Program (CHOMP), which will run from May 1-31, 2016. The effort is focused on decreasing the feral hog population in Texas, which inflicts an estimated $52 million in agricultural damage each year. “Feral hogs cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage…

As we descend into another spraying season, keep the following in mind. If you have problems with scab control, the least likely factor will be the efficacy of the fungicide you are using. Unfortunately, this is often the first thing most growers try to pin the blame on. Aside from the obvious issues of rainfall…

The National Pecan Shellers Association provided an interesting program at its recent Mid Winter meeting in New Orleans, with updates on past and current activities within the industry as well as a look ahead at potential developments. Christopher Snabes of The Acheson Group related the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on the…

Anticipating there would be news to report on the effort to implement a Federal Marketing Order for pecans, American Pecan Board President Mike Adams was featured on two recent regional pecan conference agendas. Speaking at both the Southeastern Pecan Growers conference and the Western Pecan Growers conference, Adams suggested that a “new day is dawning”…