Dry weather lessons

The nuts produced in the northern portions of the pecan tree’s native range are known for having bright, high-quality kernels that provide the food industry with great tasting ‘topper-halves’. However, northern natives are not renowned for their large nut size. Over the past couple of years, region-wide droughts have had a major impact on our…

The 2012 crop in the East started a month early and it appears that it will end a month early also. By the time you read this, the crop should be in the bag with perhaps some minor clean up in progress. This has been a different year to say the least. This crop has…

The word ‘truffle’ often evokes an image of elegant culinary items including the expensive garnish or flavoring of fine European cuisine. Although the aromatic, edible fungal fruiting structures that are known as truffles are more often associated with European countries, North America has several species that naturally grow in forests across the continent. One such…

Like it or not, the new dynamic of export marketing, especially to China, is changing the pecan industry. This is true for growers, accumulators, shellers, processors and consumers, and is unlikely to change barring unforeseen circumstances. So, if you are a grower planting a new orchard, you would be prudent to make yourself aware of…

For a number of years, the pecan industry has been contributing $50,000 per year to the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation (INC NREF). The pecan industry’s funds have come from the National Pecan Shellers Association, the Texas Pecan Growers Association, Western Pecan Growers Association and the Georgia Pecan Commodity Commission. Other…

USDA’s end-of-September Cold Storage report puts pecan stocks at 123 million pounds, in-shell basis. This Sept. 30 number is utilized by the pecan industry as the “carry in” for the current season. The 123 million compares to 151 million at the end of August 2012. At the end of September last year, the cold storage…

The National Pecan Growers Council participated in SIAL Paris 2012, a trade show billed as the world’s largest food industry exhibition, Oct. 21-25. The Paris, France event boasted 140,000 visitors from more than 200 countries; 6,000 exhibitors from 106 countries; 19 product sectors; and 1,500 journalists from 45 countries. This event is held every two…

Bruce Caris of Green Valley Pecan Company, Sahuarita, Arizona and James Ditmore of New Mexico Department of Agriculture represented U.S. Pecans at the Annapoorna World Food of India trade show in Mumbai, India on Sept. 25-28, 2012. The trade show and visits to the local retail nut market and wholesale nut markets provided some unique…

The National Pecan Shellers Association has recently launched a Facebook page. Visit the page at www.Facebook.com/ILovePecans . “Like” the page to get regular updates and tips for using pecans. Also recently, NPSA hosted a nationwide media tour to promote the nutritional benefits of pecans for men. Nationally syndicated morning TV show, The Daily Buzz, highlighted…

I think that one of the most disappointing or frustrating aspects of pecan production has to be at harvest when a producer evaluates his/her crop and finds a significant amount of “stink bug” damage. In addition to this frustration, there can be a significant financial loss and a possible loss of a retail market. I…

Three Texas pecan buyers have stated the 2012 crop is “the year of ‘Desirable’.” It has produced top quality nuts across the river region from Victoria north to Waco. The Texas A&M pecan orchard ‘Desirables’ are the best ever and superior to all other varieties this year. We have 13 large 75-year-old ‘Desirable’ trees, 40…

Harvest has moved along at a fairly rapid clip this season after an early start in much of the country. A few Texas growers actually gathered their first ‘Pawnees’ during the last week of August, which they noted was their earliest ever harvest. Most other areas of the country are also reporting early crop maturity….

Mexican pecan growers turned out by the hundreds again this year for the Jimenuez conference in late September. Topping last year’s attendance of 800 with the number of exhibits increasing as well, the conference is the largest in Mexico. This event is hosted by the Jimenez Pecan Growers Association and takes place at a unique…

Harvest season is well underway across Texas and, for all practical purposes, problems from production insect pests are behind us. However, until the pecans are in the sack and in the barn producers still have to deal with wildlife depredation and one of these wildlife predators, feral hogs, seems to be in the news on…

The New Mexico Pecan Growers Association is hosting its annual Field Day on Nov. 1 at the Leyendecker Plant Science Center near Las Cruces. Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m. with the program commencing at 8:30 a.m. Marketing, manganese, weed management, pesticide regulations and climate forecasts are among the topics to be…

USDA released its first estimate of the 2012/13 pecan crop on Oct. 11 with a forecast of 308.6 million pounds for the U.S. total, which is an increase of almost 15 percent over the 2011 crop of 269 million pounds. Another group, the Alabama Pecan Growers Association, issued its own 2012 crop forecast at its…

Registration for the annual Texas Pecan Shortcourse is underway. The 2013 event is set for Jan. 28 – Feb. 1 at Texas A&M University in College Station. This five-day event is a comprehensive overview of pecan orchard management. Cost is $150 for growers and $50 for spouses and children, county Extension agents and students. The…

Each holiday season I make many batches of pralines for friends, parties, and folks who need a little lift. This did not just happen — it took me about 4 years to learn how to make authentic Louisiana or New Orleans Pralines. They are sometimes called Creamy Pralines or Caramel Pralines. So, what makes these…

A beautiful fall day and trees full of pecans welcomed growers in Fairhope, Alabama at the Alabama Pecan Growers 52nd Annual Convention at the end of September.  A number of experts spoke, including several from other states, ranging in topics about orchard management and pecan marketing. Mike Smith from Oklahoma State University started out the…

Even though the drought conditions have eased a bit in Texas, there are still many areas of the state that are in dire need of water despite the fact that rains have fallen in recent weeks. The problem is the rain has been very scattered as many areas only received a “settling of the dust”,…

Obtaining pecan trees to plant in 2013 is a real challenge. If you haven’t contracted with a pecan nursery prior to the appearance of this article, you will likely sit on the sidelines during the upcoming winter tree-planting season. More trees are on the way. Nurseries, both established and new enterprises, from Georgia in the…

It is the middle of October now and we are 10 days to 2 weeks ahead of our normal harvest schedule. It is beginning to look like the crop here is not quite as large as earlier forecast. It is still a good off-year crop but some farms are currently running 15-20 percent under last…

Over the past 2 months, I have covered, from a grower’s standpoint, several varieties that, while older, have done well for me and others over the long haul. While this is not to say that many of the new varieties that have been released, both public and private, will not do well over time, I…

The 2-5 year drought in Texas has taught us many lessons. We have some orchards with 40 percent dead pecan trees, while others are loaded and looking good. So, why do some trees die while others do not? Without leaving the Texas A&M orchard we have some trees that are dead or near dead while…