WPGA Hosts 50th Annual Conference

Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture Gary Woodward, from USDA’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs division in Washington DC, led off the Western Pecan Growers Association’s 50th annual conference and trade show on March 7 with comments on several issues of interest to the pecan industry. “There are two issues before you that will impact your industry…

Nathan “Nick” Sachs, long-time nut broker based in Dallas, Texas, passed away on March 7, at age 82. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota Oct. 29, 1933. He was brought into the peanut business as his father, Sol Sachs, was a leading peanut processor based in the Midwest. He began hand shelling and bagging nuts to sell…

As I sit down to write this article, the weather has been a dominant story in the news. A large, very slow moving dip in the jet stream crawled across Mexico, resulting in tropical moisture streaming across Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi for several days. A large portion of this area received 1.5 to 2…

After many hours of travel, the U.S. Pecan team landed with cowboy hats in hand and ready to market pecans at the Gulfood Trade Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Well, only some of us had a cowboy hat, but the team was loaded with information about pecans to share with people from all…

Planting pecan trees is not an easy task. In anticipation of a beautiful mature orchard, one can hope for the best but end up with dead trees or trees that refuse to grow. This idea is not original—Professor Fred Brison called planting pecans, “a rendezvous with death”. During the last five years we have established 14…

I recently had the honor and privilege—probably the right term is challenge—to expound on pecan water requirements in a court of law. Those of you who practice that profession and/or those of you who have done that sort of thing in the past know exactly what I am talking about. The real question is where…

I recently had the honor and privilege — probably the right term is challenge — to expound on pecan water requirements in a court of law. Those of you who practice that profession and/or those of you who have done that sort of thing in the past know exactly what I am talking about. The…

The Central Texas Pecan Shortcourse is set for April 7 at the First United Methodist Church in Goldthwaite. The half-day event offers three CEUs to inviduals with a private pesticide applicator license. Cost for the program is $25 and includes lunch. A RSVP is requested by April 1. Call the Mills County Extension Office at…

A major topic of conversation at recent regional pecan grower conferences was the proposed Federal Marketing Order for pecans, covered elsewhere in this issue. But there was more news to report to the industry and Charles Rohla of Oklahoma’s Noble Foundation led off the agenda at the Southeastern Pecan Growers convention in Florida with some…

At the time of this writing in early March, it is hard to believe that another season is just around the corner; but ready or not, the 2016 season is fast approaching. As we approach the beginning of this new season I want to remind producers that it will soon be time to start ordering…

In a Feb. 8 newsletter, Dan Zedan of Nature’s Finest Foods reported some follow-up information on the recent suspension of USDA’s January report for NonCitrus Fruits and Nuts Preliminary Summary. This USDA summary has annually reported on pecan crop production and average prices for the current season. After the suspension of this report was brought…

Southeastern pecan growers today are living in the good times when it comes to disease control. A large number of low-toxicity fungicides are available in easy-to-handle packages. Large capacity air-blast sprayers are pulled behind tractors fitted with air-conditioned cabs. Some growers even have cameras on the sprayer wired to monitors on the dashboard that display…

Sometimes the symptoms we see with our eyes do not always provide an obvious link to an answer. And sometimes, what we think we know does not provide the answer because we are limited by our own knowledge. The biological world is a complex environment and often factors interact to bring about a certain result….

Texas is currently experiencing a very warm winter with limited rain. It is not time to irrigate, but we worry about the coming season if this drought continues. If one were to ask, what affect pecan profits most? — some would say rain. Rainfall is the perfect irrigation with slow delivery, good infiltration into the…

The Texas leafcutter ant also known as the town ant, cut ant, parasol ant and fungus ant usually does not come into conversations concerning pecan insects but they can be a problem and sometimes a serious issue in certain areas. And I bet that any producer that has had the unfortunate experience to have had…

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension conducted its annual Pecan Shortcourse, Jan.25-28, with one of the largest classes yet. Other photos at TAMU orchard.

The International Nut Council’s nutrient charts of nuts and dried fruits have been updated according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (2015). The charts are available for 100 gram and 1-ounce portions. Few modifications have been observed compared to the previous year. The only changes in this…

COLLEGE STATION – A further strengthening of the current El Niño will likely mean wetter-than-normal conditions continue into spring, according to Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist and Regents Professor at Texas A&M University, College Station. “There’s the possibility that this El Niño, although it’s already pretty strong, is actually going to strengthen a bit…

In mid-December, National Pecan announced the acquisition of a 4,000-acre+ pecan orchard and operation in Bowie, Arizona. The purchase of the Arizona pecan farm is another step toward vertical integration and overall growth for National Pecan. “The orchard is a well-regarded operation with a strong track record of producing exceptional quality pecans to serve growing…

January 4, 2016, Las Cruces, NM – Inspection Masters has announced that ag industry veteran Don Sieling has joined the company as vice president of sales and marketing. Sieling lives in California and will manage the company’s growth in the California markets as well as oversee IM’s network of salespersons, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and…

I have visited many native pecan groves over the years and have always found at least one tree in each grove that has developed a swollen, disfigured lower trunk. Trees with this condition are typically weak nut producers and often suffer from significant limb loss. As I work with growers to improve their native groves,…

When those associated with the U.S. pecan industry travel abroad, it is fairly common for them to check out retail outlets in other countries to see if pecans are offered for sale. Pecan South’s Blair Krebs traveled in Germany recently and took note of these offerings of in-shell pecans, roasted halves, and pecans in nut mixes….

On Jan. 7, this notice regarding the statistical report for noncitrus fruits and nuts was published by USDA: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will not publish the Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Preliminary 2015 Summary scheduled for Jan. 21. We will publish the Annual Summary on July 6, 2016. This…

On Nov. 24, 2015, the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Hong Kong showcased 25 U.S. food and beverage products to 75 culinary professionals at a launch event for the second “United Tastes of America — Asian Chef Challenge.” Hong Kong is the fourth largest export destination for U.S. consumer-oriented agricultural products with over 10 percent…