TriState conference set for Vicksburg
Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi pecan grower associations are preparing to host the TriState Pecan Convention, June 20-21, at the Vicksburg Convention Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This year’s event will kick off with an orchard tour on Thursday morning. Mississippi Pecan Growers Association President Joe Buzhardt is planning the orchard program which will be followed by...
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U.S. Pecans effort probes ingredient market in China
The National Pecan Growers Council participated in the Food Ingredients China trade show for the first time, March 26-28, 2013, in Shanghai, China. Cindy Wise of Texas Pecan Growers Association served as team leader for this project and was assisted by Ellen Burkett of Priester Pecan Company. This is only the second year that this...
Read morePecan exports to China reach record levels, still climbing
The February import/export figures from the Foreign Ag Statistics Service show that pecan exports to China have set a new record. Between Aug. 1, 2012 and Feb. 28, 2013, China imported almost 89 million pounds (inshell basis) of pecans. Within that figure, exports to Vietnam and China were both down slightly but Hong Kong more...
Read moreOPGA planning annual meet in Ardmore
This year’s Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association Annual Convention will be held in Ardmore at the Ardmore Convention Center on June 27-29. The educational program has been structured to brief growers on pecan production and current issues facing the pecan industry. Dan Zedan will be speaking on the market crash of 2012, and George Ray McEachern...
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Feral Hogs: A hidden danger among food safety concerns
There has been a lot of talk about food safety and as you read in Charles Graham’s article in February, “New food safety regulations on the horizon,” several of the new regulations were discussed. Food safety is a major concern for all industries and it may take only one outbreak to greatly affect the future...
Read moreProducers have plenty of insecticide choices
During all of my years with Extension, one of the more frequent questions I receive from producers, regardless of the pest problem is: “what can I spray with?” It wasn’t long ago that the list of insecticides labeled for pecan was not all that long. I remember when we could list all the labeled commercial...
Read moreTPGA to raffle Polaris Ranger
The Texas Pecan Growers Association will again raffle a Polaris Ranger 500 at the upcoming annual TPGA Conference and Trade Show in July. Raffle tickets are $100 each and only 200 tickets will be sold. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the raffle will support pecan research, Extension and promotional projects. The TPGA event...
Read moreLet’s get to work!
The 2012 crop finished in a mess and we know the 2013 crop is going to be light – but we have to get to work, whether we like it or not. We must remember our main goal in pecan orchard management is keeping the trees healthy. We should have our first Roundup treatment behind...
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Enthusiastic crowd turns out for NC workshop
The members of the North Carolina Pecan Growers Association conducted their 19th Annual Educational Workshop and largest one to date on Feb. 16, 2013. The event was held on the grounds of the Lu Mil Vineyard, in Dublin, North Carolina. This county winery provided a warm and inviting setting from the chilly February weather. An...
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Early season fungicides – a sound investment
One of the facts of growing pecans in the Southeast is disease prevention. Sure, there are “dry spells” and even dry years when the pressure and concern of fending off a scab infection are less challenging, but from East Texas to Florida and all points in between, those are generally rare. Pop-up showers and thunderstorms...
Read moreNASS suspends pecan estimates due to sequestration
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced on March 12 that it is suspending a number of statistical surveys and reports for the remainder of the fiscal year due to reduced funding caused by sequestration. Before deciding upon the program suspensions, NASS reviewed its survey programs against mission- and user-based criteria as well as the amount...
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