Don’t over-manage young trees

We’ve seen an incredible number of pecan trees planted over the last few years and at this point, it’s not slowing down. As the planting of pecan trees across the southeastern pecan belt continues this winter, I thought it would be a good time to discuss some of the issues I’ve dealt with over the…

Editor’s note: this article was posted on USDA’s “Blog” on Dec. 18, 2013, by Kent Politsch, Chief, Foreign Ag Service Public Affairs. The pecan industry has also been utilizing MAP (Market Access Program) funding for the past three years to develop export markets. The 2014 MAP allocation, along with significant contributions from growers and shellers,…

Our industry is at a crossroad. Let me begin with two stories that are insightful and revealing. At the WPGA conference in Las Cruces in March of last year, over a breakfast conversation with Dick Walden about the state of our industry, he mentioned an article that he had written in the 1990s entitled “The…

Editor’s note: Michael Taylor is a Deputy Commissioner with the Food and Drug Administration. He issued this statement on Dec. 19, 2013 FDA appreciates and takes very seriously the extensive input we have received from produce farmers and others in the agricultural sector on the proposed FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules on produce…

The Georgia Pecan Commission exhibited at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Houston, Texas, Oct. 19-21, 2013. Advisory board members/spokespersons registered dietitian Carolyn O’Neil, Dr. Ron Pegg and registered dietitian Densie Webb made appearances in the Georgia Pecans booth to answer nutritional questions and spread the “antioxiNUT”…

The National Pecan Growers Council participated in SIAL Middle East for the first time Nov. 24-26, utilizing a booth featuring U.S. Pecans. The participating team consisted of Cindy Wise, Bruce Caris, Executive Vice President of Green Valley Pecan Co, and Vickie Mabry, Executive Director of the National Pecan Shellers Assn. The trade show was held…

Our 2013 season was marked by both high and low experiences. Our group of students of the last four years was happy with the good growth and development for the Texas A&M Orchard at the TPGA Conference. It has been a hard but rewarding experience for all of us and we were happy to share…

The pecan industry said goodbye to one of its finest in December with the passing of Harold Otto Pape of Seguin, Texas. Harold passed away on Dec. 10, 2013, at the age of 80, after a long battle with cancer. His family reported that “he came into this life on the same land on which…

The U.S. pecan crop appears to be about 170 million pounds, the shortest crop since 1998, according to Bill Goff, professor and Extension pecan specialist at Auburn University. Pecan industry forecasts made from June through September of 2013 estimated the U.S. crop at an average of 213.6 million pounds. Now that harvest is nearing completion…

For a good part of Texas, the 2013 season is over and behind us and probably one we would like to forget. Sort of like some football seasons, a bit disappointing but always high hopes for next year. As we enter this downtime during the winter, there is really not much to be done on…

Climate change refers to any shift in temperature, precipitation or wind. The change can be of short duration, but more commonly refers to long-term shifts that may persist for decades or longer. Historically, climate has changed gradually over thousands of years. However, recent changes have been abrupt and tied to anthropogenic factors, including deforestation and…

Desirable has been the mainstay cultivar in the Southeast for many years, surpassing ‘Stuart’ for the lead in new plantings many years back. And, it has been the mainstay for good reasons. Consistent production is the hallmark of ‘Desirable’. For many years, as a pecan consultant, I have had a task of estimating pecan crops…

In a large prospective study published online in the British Journal of Cancer, researchers looked at the association between nut consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer among 75,680 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, with no previous history of cancer. Consumption of nuts, including tree nuts (such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and…

Pecan pioneer Deane F. Stahmann passed away at his home in Toowoomba, Australia on Oct. 17. He was 83 years old. A funeral was held at a Toowoomba nut processing plant on Oct. 23 for the eccentric American who convinced Australians they could grow pecans where only wheat and cotton had previously been sown. An…

The hot dry summers of 2011 and 2012 had a major impact on native pecan size and quality. In my area of Kansas, the dry weather shrank nuts down to about three quarters their normal weight. Fortunately, we received just enough late-summer rain during both years to promote full kernel development. By harvest, we were…

Many of us likely remember writing a letter to Santa Claus in the days of our youth — a checklist of the things we most wanted to find wrapped up with a bow on Christmas morning. Small town newspapers often publish Christmas lists that elementary school-aged children send in. It’s always fun to see the…

The 2013 Texas pecan harvest started out late, and then came the rains, which made it even later. Some growers may not harvest due to rain. On the other hand, rain is the finest irrigation a pecan orchard can obtain. E.E. Risen, the father of pecan production at San Saba in the late 1800s said…

USDA has reported that, as of Sept. 30, 2013, there were approximately 181 million pounds of pecans in cold storage. This is a converted-to-inshell total number. This is the number traditionally used by the pecan industry as the “carry in” for the season. Broken down into shelled and inshell numbers, the actual cold storage statistics…

Pecans have one of the highest antioxidant contents among all foods, and vie for the title of top antioxidant nut. This should translate into good health news for people who frequently snack on pecans and include them in weekly recipes, but the fact is, U.S. consumers only average half a serving a week of nuts….

Winners of the Texas State Pecan Show were selected last July at the Texas Pecan Growers Association annual convention held in College Station. Approximately 21 county pecan shows were held across the state during the months of November and December 2012, some of which were multi-county events. The top 2 placing entries within each variety…

With harvest underway and pecans being cracked, shelled, processed and stored, I feel that this is a good time to address that other group of insects — stored product pests — that can infest pecans. As producers, processers, wholesalers and retailers strive to produce and present to the public a high-quality product, the importance of…

The western region irrigated pecan industry (Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas in the U.S. and Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon and Sonora in Mexico) has grown tremendously since pecans were first introduced in early 1900s. Mexico has over 96,000 hectares with an annual production valued at over $500 million (SAGARPA 2011). There are an…

On May 16, 2013, an historic event occurred for pecans. Up until that date, no group had been assembled that represented all segments of the U.S. pecan industry. On that date, the newly formed U.S. Pecan Council seated its first board of directors. This article is an account of its beginnings and future vision. In…

I am writing this month to discuss 2 silent killers that rob tree vitality and yield over the course of time, without most growers noticing until the damage is extreme. The first of these is the Prionus Root Borer, which attacks many different species of trees including pecan. This pest is present in varying degrees…