New Pecan Lands: Argentina
Last month my wife, partner and I had the opportunity to visit a new (to me) country and observe a fledgling pecan industry getting its legs under it. We spent 5 days traveling the northeastern part of Argentina with our gracious hosts, Miguel and Karen Blanchard, and Alejandro and Carmen Llanos. While pecans have been...
Read moreLetter to the Editor: Grower Disagrees With Climate Change Statement
Dear Editor, The article by Richard Haller in the June issue, “Grower attributes orchard decline to climate change,” cries out for a word of rebuttal. Mr. Haller makes a very good case for the unpredictable Texas weather and the risky nature of Texas agriculture due to the harsh climate. No one could argue with the...
Read moreHow Does the Hot, Dry Weather Affect the Crop?
If there was ever a year in Georgia to stretch out fungicide sprays, 2011 has been the year, at least through early June. So far this year, we have learned a little about what its like to grow pecans in the desert. As I write this in early June, we have had 4 days of...
Read moreBig Pecan Drop in 2011
The Texas pecan crop for 2011 appears to be in a nose dive. I understand there are some orchards throughout the state with a good crop. I do not know the crop situation in far West Texas. I do know the south-central river region from Waco to the Gulf is in bad shape. Some growers...
Read moreFirst Crop Estimate at 246.5 Million
Two flat-bed trailers would not hold all the attendees who showed up for the Louisiana Pecan Growers Association’s tour of the LSU Ag Station in Shreveport, which kicked off the annual Tri-State Pecan Conference June 16-17. Mississippi and Arkansas pecan growers sponsor the conference as well. The morning tour was followed by educational sessions and...
Read moreSurvey Reveals Profile of Typical Pecan Consumer
ATLANTA – Who snacks on pecans in the U.S.? Hint: think Steel Magnolias. The profile of a typical pecan snacker is a 52-year-old, educated, affluent, married, white Southern woman, according to a leading market research firm. The National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA) recently obtained data from GfK MRI to better understand the American pecan consumer. ...
Read moreBe on the Alert for New Invasive Stink Bug
Today’s society is based on a world economy with goods and commodities being shipped to and from countries around the world — which is a good thing and we (pecan growers) are seeing that now with increased sales to China. World trade is great, but all of this commerce can have negative consequences, one of...
Read moreWow Will Weather Affect This Year’s Crop?
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the drought is the center of attention in Texas. To make matters worse we just went through May which is typically the wettest month of the year, and as luck would have it, it turned out to be the third driest month on record in many...
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