High-Density Plantings—A New Look at Pecans in Argentina
When the pecan industry began to develop in Argentina, the most common planting frames were 12 by 12 meters (39 by 39 feet) and 10 by 10 meters (32 by 32 feet), resulting in orchards with 64 to 100 trees per hectare. This spacing was partly because traditional management proposals were imported from other countries...
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How to Optimize Production in a Small Orchard
When industry members speak about pecans in Argentina, it’s impossible not to mention Alejandro Lavista Llanos, who is one of the people that began to write pecan’s history in the country. Alejandro Lavista Llanos has been an agronomist for 54 years and accumulated more than 36 years of experience in pecan production through his own...
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The Value of Maintaining a Germplasm Repository for Pecans and Hickories
The USDA ARS Pecan Breeding and Genetics program is home to both the Pecan Breeding Program and the National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans and Hickories (NCGR Carya). In my October 2022 article, Three Genetics Tools to Improve Pecan Breeding, I outlined the genetic tools the USDA will implement to improve the pecan breeding...
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Raptor Ag’s Giant Leap into Pecan Growing
During the first two months of 2022, a company in Oklahoma conducted a massive undertaking: planting 100,600 pecan trees within five weeks on 1,040 acres. Funded by investors, Raptor Ag made its foray into pecans with the goal of going further than any grower before. “I’ve been around for a while, and [when] they told...
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Uruguay, South America’s small but rising producer
In previous issues, we have analyzed the evolution of pecan production throughout South America and several countries’ efforts to develop markets and position themselves as pecan suppliers to global consumers. Today, it’s Uruguay’s turn. The second smallest country in South America, Uruguay borders Brazil, Argentina, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its location near the Argentine Mesopotamia...
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The Peruvian pecan sector looks to access China to boost its growth
Peru is well-known for being an important producer and exporter of agricultural products such as blueberries, avocados, asparagus, grapes, and citrus, but it is not common to hear about Peru being a pecan producer. Pecan is not only grown in Peru, but it is also a historical crop whose origin goes back to the late...
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The beginning of modern pecan culture
Ever since learning of the history of the pecan, I have been fascinated by the story of the first successful propagation. This grafting was accomplished by a man named Antoine, who was enslaved at Oak Alley Plantation in St. James Parish, Louisiana. I have long been interested in learning whether the product of this successful...
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Vicki Lynn Pecans finds niche with pecans as a beauty food
Vicki Lynn Pecans in Colquitt, Georgia, began long before the first trees were planted. Mark Boatright approached his sister and brother-in-law, Lynn and Russ Henley, about purchasing land as a family investment. Looking for some type of agricultural investment, Lynn first followed a recommendation from the Farmers’ Almanac and decided to invest in pine trees....
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Argentina’s pecan industry, a thriving and growing sector
Pecan cultivation in Argentina goes back to the 19th century when Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, an Argentine politician, writer, teacher, journalist, military, and statesman, brought the first seeds to the country when he returned from his trip to the United States, where he was ambassador. However, it was not until the end of the 20th century...
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A Nonprofit Harvests Pecans, Helps Veterans
Near the small, West Texas town of Eldorado, a nonprofit transforms a small pecan orchard this harvest into a safe place for veterans with disabilities to find community, support, and employment. Superior Solutions and Services in Aging for Veterans, or 3SA for Veterans for short, is a 501(c) nonprofit charity in San Angelo, Texas, that...
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The Pecan Breeding Program Forms the Roots of Our Industry
Very much like the pecan tree itself, the roots of the pecan industry often get lost in the grand management scheme. Stretching back for generations, these roots provide stability, support, and the ability to grow taller, stronger, and more bountiful. The USDA Pecan Breeding Program and National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans and Hickories...
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Five Generations of Farming, First Generation With Pecans
Mark Friesenhahn has a problem. It was the first week of June and his ‘Wichita’ trees were sitting in muck. The tailings pond at the 6-month-old quarry across the railroad tracks north of his orchard broke. The break flooded a good portion of his orchard with tailings, which Friesenhahn describes as “water and clay materials...
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Mexican Pecans’ Marketing Journey Has Just Begun
Pecan nut production in Mexico has been growing steadily over the last decade from 77,000 metric tons (169,755,942 pounds) in 2010 to 171,000 metric tons (376,990,468 pounds) in 2019. This growth represents a 122 percent increase in volume; according to the Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) in the 2015-2019 period, it has a value of...
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Planting, Propagating, & Promoting Pecans in South Africa
Almost an hour’s drive outside of Kimberley, South Africa, the Vaalharts Storage Weir diverts water from the Vaal River and feeds it into the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme. Here marks the start of South Africa’s entire pecan industry. Without the Valhaarts Irrigation Scheme and this dam, the South African pecan industry wouldn’t exist as we currently...
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Growing Pecans & Growing an Industry in South Africa
“I almost didn’t recognize you!” Hardus du Toit, the Senior Technical Officer of the South African Pecan Nut Producers’ Association and our official guide to South Africa, exclaimed to me on the morning of SAPPA’s Annual General Meeting and Information Day. It was our second day in South Africa, and after a good night’s rest...
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Water Fight in the World of Pecans
Out in the western part of the American Pecan Belt, the sun burns hot, water runs scarce, and pecan trees grow for miles and miles. Growers look forward to a bright future and continue to plant in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and around the El Paso Valley, Texas. But a cloud looms over growers...
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The Pecan Trees of the Centenary
A plantation project to commemorate Franco-American friendship on the occasion of the centenary of the United States entering World War One. The Project’s Genesis The Franco-American friendship began during the Enlightenment, before the French Revolution, thanks to the role played by Lafayette in the American Revolutionary War and to his friendship with Thomas Jefferson, Governor...
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Friends of O.S. Gray strive to carry on the legacy of a Pecan Pioneer
In 1985, Kevin Donovan moved to a new home in Arlington, Texas near what is now O.S. Gray Natural Area. But what was once pecan giant Oscar “O.S.” Gray’s nursery, now stood what appeared to be an overgrown woodland. Donovan and his family, as well as his friends and neighbors, would often come to the...
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Arizona, the Dark Horse of the Pecan Industry
There are forces at work out in the deserts of Arizona. Strong winds, hail, lightning storms, monsoons—the extreme weather and climate may make one think that this land was inhospitable to farming. But like with other southwestern states, that’s not necessarily the case. There are forces at work out in the deserts of Arizona. Planting,...
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Acclaimed pecan breeder Darrell Sparks named UGA inventor of the Year
Darrell Sparks’ legacy at the University of Georgia spans more than 50 years and includes the release of eight patented pecan cultivars and research focused on the development of new and improved pecan varieties. For his contributions to Georgia’s pecan industry, Sparks is the 2018 recipient of the University’s Inventor of the Year Award. A...
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Crossing the Agricultural & Consumer Divide
For 166 days throughout the year, Sandra Pierce is on the road. Hauling a 22-foot trailer packed with educational supplies, Pierce travels around Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma leading an AgriLife agricultural literacy program called “Kids & Kows & More.” Through this program, Pierce has a simple yet all too necessary mission: teach children the...
Read moreA Pecan Homecoming: Leading a Way to a Brighter Future
Harvest has come to an end and the retail season continues to slow down as well, but with a new year comes new opportunities to chase after long-sought dreams and to bring change to a retail business, orchard, or pecan operation. It’s a new year for taking chances. Traveling from East to West across the...
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Where Heritage & Business Meet, the Choctaw Nation Grows Pecans
“I don’t want to say it just happened, but it kinda just happened,” says Doyle McDaniel, Tree Production Manager for the Choctaw Pecan Farms. He’s referring to the over 1,500 acres of pecan farmland that the Choctaw Nation now owns throughout Southeastern Oklahoma. In about two years, the Choctaw Nation has gone from an undisclosed...
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Lalo Medina’s Journey From Real Estate to Pecans
On another hot Texas morning, Lalo Medina, 41, sits inside the small trailer office at his Bastrop farm, one of three farms that Pecan Grove Farms owns. He makes calls and sends emails. Medina and his family had driven down from Dallas for a number of days; while Medina handled farm business, his two oldest...
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Letter from Cindy Wise
Our Pecan South readers probably noticed a new name in the magazine last month. Catherine Clark is now managing editor, having joined our staff in June. Two years ago, I decided a time for change was approaching and began to lay the groundwork for retirement. As of July 31, I will wrap up 36 years...
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The Pecan Baton
The Pecan Baton Once upon a time in pecan land, Growers sought to organize everyman Beginning in ’21 with the Texas pecan Pioneer names have carried the baton. Romberg, Benton, Bluefford, and George Ray Passed the baton as each had their day We all are beholding as each took their shift T P G A...
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King Benjamin Ivey, a Pioneer in the Farming World
Born in Travis County, Texas, in 1891, K.B. Ivey grew up on a small farm near Stephenville, the seventh of John William and Roxy Kay Ivey’s fourteen children. In 1912, he traveled with two older brothers, Louis and Robert, to the El Paso Valley. His brother Louis wanted to buy cotton from Juarez, Mexico. It...
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Pacific Gold Ag Bullish on California Pecan Industry
Any number of words or phrases come to mind when contemplating Ben King’s endeavor known as Pacific Gold Agriculture – vision, commitment, investment, the pursuit of excellence, optimism, risk, and teamwork are a few of those. He would be quick to say the endeavor is a partnership; but he is undoubtedly the driving force, providing...
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Larrabee Undertakes Pruning Project to Open Up Orchard
Keith Larrabee farms about 300 acres of pecans in the Sacramento Valley north of Colusa, California and is in the midst of a multi-year pruning project in an attempt to get more sunlight into his orchard. He acknowledges that “the problem here is that the trees were not pruned properly, to begin with. A good...
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Jimenez Grower Aims for Top Quality Crop
José Juan Fuantos grows pecans in the Mexican state of Chihuahua west of the city of Jimenez, along the Parral River. His quest is for top quality nuts and, as he cut pecans in late September so that visitors could assess the nut fill, he was not quite satisfied with what he saw — which...
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King Springs Pecans a Story of Friendship
Paul Quiros began our recent interview for this article by basically writing the lead himself. “This is a story of great friendship,” he said. King Springs Pecans, a young 550-acre orchard not far from Perry, Georgia, was launched 3 years ago by newcomers to the pecan industry, Quiros and his law partner and friend of...
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Pecan Business Evolved from Affection for River
Troy Swift never intended to grow pecans; he only wanted to stay close to the San Marcos River that he fell in love with during his time at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). When the opportunity arose to buy land on the river, he purchased a 66-acre abandoned orchard. Swift’s work ethic...
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Texas growers dish out new cover crop in row middles
In order to put organic matter back into the soil, Dan Berdoll has made an unlikely match: pecans and radishes. Berdoll planted his first radish crop this year in his pecan orchard outside of Bastrop, Texas. He said he has been pleased with the results so far. Berdoll read an article in The Furrow Magazine...
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Pecan Museum to Open its Doors in Seguin, Texas
Seguin claims the title “Pecan Capital of Texas”, so it’s only right that the city gets a museum dedicated to one of Texas’ greatest resources. The museum has been in the works for some time but is now coming together with the help of the community in Seguin and pecan growers across the state. The...
Read moreGelato maker enters Texas Pecan Pie flavor in Italian competition
Matthew Lee is going toe-to-toe with about 20 other international gelato makers in early September but, fortunately for the Austin, Texas business owner, he has got a few tricks up his sleeve. Lee opened Teo Espresso, Gelato and Bella Vita 12 years ago in Austin after training in the art of making gelato in Italy....
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Pecan meal stars in neat™ meat alternative
New applications for pecans are always welcomed by the industry — especially those that enhance the healthy image of pecans; especially those that enhance the image of pecans as a great tasting nut; and especially those that create demand for something other than halves! Well, here it is and it is on the shelves of...
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Retirement Hobby Fires Up R.G. Box
Blacksmith artist R.G. Box of Lubbock, Texas, is pondering the possibility of creating a pecan tree. Considering the fact that he has already made a 6-foot roadrunner, an entire tree is certainly within the realm of possibility and his capability. But to date, his pecan work in the forge has been smaller projects like limbs...
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New plantings growing tall in Georgia
Take a drive around South and Middle Georgia and one cannot help but notice the amount of new pecan tree plantings and development in the pecan industry. New growers are joining the pecan industry and experienced growers are making the most of the development and planting new trees. Along with the planting, other services, such...
Read moreBergeron Family Celebrates 100 Years In Shelling Business
Three generations and millions and millions of pecans later, Bergeron’s Pecans of New Roads, Louisiana, celebrated on Sept. 5 the 100th anniversary of the family-owned and operated shelling business. Hundreds of friends and community members filled False River Country Club for the occasion, including Louisiana State Rep. Major Thibaut and Sheriff Bud Torres as wells Louisiana...
Read morePape Nutcracker Collection May Be World’s Largest
Kenneth Pape of Seguin, Texas, may have the largest collection of nutcrackers in the world and his collection is now showcased in his Nutcracker Museum, one of the biggest attractions in this small town about 30 miles east of San Antonio. Seguin is rich in pecan tradition and the Pape family is responsible for much...
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