Online Pesticide Information—Important Resource for Producers
The idea for this month’s column came to me earlier this month as I was speaking at a producer field day about some changes in pesticide label information and the seemingly surge in recent years in the number of (new) insecticides labeled for pecan. I think that one of the most useful pieces of information,...
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Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: Government Reporting Errors Impact Pecan Industry
Mark Twain once said that there are 3 kinds of lies: “There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Used by many but understood by few, no one can stay in business very long, or expect to be very successful, without good statistics. They are critical to every segment of the pecan industry. Yet for years,...
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Lest we forget pecan scab control
Controlling pecan scab was not difficult for many growers in 2011. The much-publicized drought caused a total absence of scab in the entire state of Texas, and many portions of the humid southeastern pecan growing region had much less pressure than normal. No pecan grower would ever wish for an abundance of scab in their...
Read moreOut and About
The Georgia Pecan Growers Association recently concluded its annual meeting in Perry, Georgia. While I was unable to attend the entire meeting it appeared there was a very large turnout. There is more and more interest in the industry now that it has turned profitable. As far as this year’s crop in the Southeast goes,...
Don’t Call it a Comeback…
The last time I wrote an article I was in Oklahoma. Since then I have moved to Mississippi State University. My position is similar, but some change in crops of major interest. Pecan growers, however, were one of the first groups to latch onto me. You see, just like everyone else in the U.S. the...
Read moreGreat start demands work
The 2012 Texas pecan flowering looks great. Most trees native and improved have a strong flower crop. Budbreak and flowering look to be 10 to 14 days ahead of normal. There has also been the earliest ever emergence of pecan nut casebearer (PNC). At least three things contribute to our big crop; the 2010 “off”...
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Louisiana Industry loses Patriarch Bob Williams
Louisiana pecan industry patriarch Bob Williams passed away at his home on Thursday, March 29 at the age of 94. His bedroom window overlooked his beautiful home place orchard in Tensas Parish that he and Miss Clarice bought 65 years earlier in March 1947. Mr. Bob was the last of 10 children and was born...
Read moreCold Storage Pecans Total 240 Million Pounds
Pecans in cold storage totaled 240.5 million pounds, inshell basis, as of March 31, according to USDA’s most recent cold storage report. That number compares to 201 million pounds, inshell basis, for the same date a year ago. A month earlier, Feb. 29, 2012, cold storage pecan stocks had been 227 million pounds, inshell basis....
Read moreStudy evaluates Bird Gard system for controlling birds
For pecan growers Danny Tingle and Jarred Allred, the sounds of birds squawking in their trees means more money in their pockets, more of their nuts are making it to processing, and less are ending up as expensive bird feed. This past harvest, the 2 growers from southeastern Arizona took part in a research trial...
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