GPGA hedging panel captures audience interest
The Georgia Pecan Growers Association offered up a diverse program with concurrent sessions at its annual conference March 25-26 in Perry. Helpful advice and presentations for new growers as well as veterans comprised the 1.5 day program at the Georgia National Fairgrounds, along with a trade show encompassing equipment, chemicals, nurseries and more. One of...
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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...
Read morePecan Orchard Establishment
Planting seed in place. Pecan orchards are difficult to establish by planting seed because it requires individual tree care for tree selection, irrigation, weed control and unwanted tree removal. All of which occurs over a long three to five year period of time. Though seemingly less costly, it is, however, the most expensive system for...
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Tools to help determine a thinning plan
Mature tree removal is one of the most critical and difficult management decisions that a pecan grower has to make particularly in native groves. It is often very difficult for a producer to cut down a large tree. Sometimes this difficulty arises from an emotional connection to a tree and other times it can be...
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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...
Read moreHow much fertilizer do young pecan trees need?
Root dry weight typically comprises 55-70 percent of total tree dry weight one year following transplant, which suggests that pecan tree transplants direct most of their resources to root establishment in the first growing season in the orchard. Pecan trees in the first two to three years of establishment have a limited root system compared...
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Early Season Foliage Damage Could be Sawfly, June Beetles
As the new season is upon us and we prepare for the casebearer season, there are a few insects that can cause a lot of discomfort and frustration for producers and 2 of these that I frequently receive inquiries about are sawfly and June beetle damage. Unfortunately, we do not have any clear-cut guidelines or...
Read moreIndustry Loses Pecan Pioneer, Paulina Salopek
A pioneer of the New Mexico pecan industry who served in countless leadership roles, Paulina Utz Salopek, passed away on April 1. She was born on Sept. 2, 1932 in West Virginia. She was preceded in death by her husband David Salopek and is survived by 3 children: Vivian Salopek Steinborn (husband David M. Steinborn),...
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New Players Looking to Impact Pecan Industry
Positive developments and publicity focused on the pecan industry have abounded over the past 5 five years, drawing attention and interest from well outside the mainstream of the pecan world. As a result, there has been a myriad of new investments, by industry veterans and newcomers alike — in small ways for some, but in...
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