New Mexico State University Expands Pecan Research as Region Expands Production

Pecans, like people, are moving to the Southwest. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, New Mexico and Arizona accounted for a mere 4 percent of U.S. pecan production in the mid-1970s. As a result of steady growth in production, the percentage had blossomed to more than 28 percent a third of a century…

The U.S. Pecans effort to promote the export of pecans was focused on China May 18-20 when 4 representatives manned a booth at the large annual SIAL China trade show in Shanghai. Cindy Wise of the Texas Pecan Growers Association, Bob Whaley of Whaley Pecan Co. in Alabama, grower Mike Spradling of Oklahoma and grower/sheller…

Pecan orchard establishment can be slow or fast depending on soil type, depth, irrigation, weed control, zinc sprays, nitrogen fertilization and pruning. With the increased interest in pecans as a cash crop, there are many new plantings. Not all trees will grow; some will actually die while others will make tremendous growth. The main idea…

So far I would say that the 2011 season has gotten off to a difficult and rough start with the drought, high diesel and gas prices, a lighter than expected crop (from what I have seen so far) and pecan nut casebearer showing up a bit early. Given the higher than average temperatures during March…

After more than 30 years of growing pecans in Osage County, Oklahoma, I have discovered that the more I learned about pecan culture, the more I found out that I didn’t know. Such is the case with many subjects! My orchard is about 10 miles east of Ponca City, Oklahoma. I purchased the land in…

Perhaps the question should be “We can’t predict which cultivars not exhibiting scab now will scab badly pretty soon – or can we?” Certainly we can predict which cultivars will scab, simply by placing them in many locations in many states with many strains of the fungus where incidence is high and not masking the…

In reviewing the farms that I manage, it appears that we have a good crop coming on. We are yet to get through the “June drop” so things can still change but terminal counts and observations support an estimate for our orchards that is consistent with our production in 2009 and 2010. To extrapolate that…

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Pecan Integrated Pest Management team has been awarded the Superior Service Award. The nine-member team was recognized for “their work in developing and implementing a program that has culminated in a computerized information delivery system to provide real-time information to pecan growers throughout Texas and other pecan…

After decades of pecan farming in central Texas, I have begun to see major changes in my orchard, which makes it more difficult to conduct seasonal activities like spraying, etc. My educational background is in engineering and meteorology, and as I began to read more and more of the scientific research about the earth’s changing…

Last year over 45 million pounds of native pecans were harvested in the United States worth over $60 million dollars. The good prices from the past year have generated a lot of interest in pecan production. I receive several calls each week from folks wanting to get into the pecan business and benefit from these…

After 42 years, I finally attended a Georgia Pecan Growers Meeting last month. I knew it was different right off the bat because it was raining cats and dogs. Texas pecans are in a major drought. It has rained only once at College Station in the last 10 months. Our Horticulture Department constructed an irrigation…

Pecan scab is a crop-limiting disease problem in the Southeast. For commercial pecan orchards, the prevention of scab on susceptible varieties is straightforward. Trees must be sprayed every 14-21 days from bud break to shell hardening with one of several EPA-registered fungicides to prevent leaves or nuts from damaging infection (Fig 1). An airblast sprayer…

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, April 21, 2011 – Growers who use Headline® fungicide may qualify to save $50 per gallon on purchases through BASF authorized retailers made by Aug. 15. “Headline fungicide is a smart, strategic investment for growers, and the Headline Advantage offer means it pays even more to plan ahead,” said Jason Ward,…

Pecan growers across Georgia gathered for the Georgia Pecan Growers Association annual meeting on March 30 in Perry, Georgia. University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Scott Angle summed up the mood of the conference saying, “growers are in a good mood when other years they were not always in a good…

We have spent the winter going to meetings, talking about what might have been or might be in the future and in general being optimistic about what lies ahead for the industry. All is well and good as it should be, but now begins the time when we have to produce the crop we are…

Although I wrote about this project at the end of last year, I thought it is worth rerunning to serve as a reminder that this project will need input from producers. During 2010 the Texas pecan IPM program teamed with Dr. Juan Lopez, USDA-ARS Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, to submit a proposal to the…

The Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association will host its 81st annual convention, June 26-28 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Registration and trade show set up takes place on June 26 with the educational program set for June 27.  The conference shifts to the Frances Aldredge orchard for an orchard tour and program on June…

Although it is early March at the time of this writing it is not too early to start planning your pecan nut casebearer management program. Here in Texas, the pecan nut casebearer is considered our most important nut pest and management of this insect is really the cornerstone of our pecan IPM program. The results…

Even though the pecan industry has enjoyed a profitable season, the U.S. economy will require a little more “patience” before it rebounds, according to Dr. Gerald Swanson, Professor of Economics, University of Arizona. Swanson addressed the National Pecan Shellers Association at its recent mid-winter meeting in New Orleans. “Believe it or not,” Swanson said, the…

A common misconception among clientele is that funding for research and Extension activities is available from the university. Thirty years ago a large portion of the funding was based on “formula funds”, those funds allocated by the federal government for states to administer as needed to support agricultural and human environmental science programs. This gradually…

The 2010 pecan crop set new records for prices paid to the producers of native pecans. With high prices comes renewed interest in developing new or long-time abandoned native pecan groves. Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time working with landowners ready to get rich in the pecan game (oh, if…

Pecan producers are fairly limited in their choice of herbicide options. We have basically three burndown herbicides available for use on pecan. These include glyphosate, paraquat and glufosinate (Rely). Glyphosate is the old standby that has been used for years. When it first came out, glyphosate seemed like a miracle herbicide. Its systemic activity killed…

The Southeastern Pecan Growers Association enjoyed an enthusiastic turnout for its annual convention, Feb. 24-26, at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi. A lot of activity was packed into the 2-day event — educational programming, trade show, golf tournament, and awards banquet. The program included several updates regarding important promotional and marketing projects underway…

On Feb. 26, I attended a meeting of the National Pecan Growers Council held at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi, in conjunction with the Southeastern Pecan Growers Association meeting. We were exposed to the work that the National Pecan Growers Council has been doing in obtaining and using funds from two federal programs…