The Story of a Good Native Nut
I don’t think I’ve ever visited a native pecan producer that doesn’t have a favorite tree in their grove. More than likely, he has propagated additional trees of the family’s favorite native pecan with the dream he’s discovered the next big pecan cultivar. I’ve seen a lot of these nuts and they seem to have...
Read more
Production Problems Arise as Effects of Warm Winter Linger Throughout Growing Season
Warm winters like we had over the winter of 2016-2017 can cause a variety of issues for pecans, many of which may not become obvious until the season progresses. I have been concerned about this since bud break, and we have seen some of these issues come to pass. Hopefully as the season goes on,...
Read more
Using Data to Schedule Irrigation & Analyze Soil Moisture
Getting irrigation exactly right is one of the most important things that a pecan grower in the West needs to do. This is particularly true during the middle part of the season when we may see a couple of waves of natural fruit drop and the latter part of the season when the kernel develops....
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read moreTime for a Snack, Time for Pecans
Try this easy and healthy afternoon snack from American Pecan for when the kids and grandkids come home from school or for you after a long day of work. These pecan granola bars are healthy, delicious and something everyone will love!
Read more
Promising Nut and Dried Fruit Production Worldwide for 2017-18
July 2017. During the debate sessions held at the latest INC Congress, recently celebrated in Chennai, India, the 2017/18 season world tree nut production (almonds, Amazonia -Brazil- nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts) has been forecasted at 4.2 million metric tons, up 25 percent from prior 10 years average (data referring...
Read more
Crop Estimates Graph & USDA 2016
The chart above shows Littlepage’s and Brookshier’s estimates from the TriState and TPGA conferences respectively. It also shows the USDA numbers of production in 2016. USDA released its annual production report for 2016 in early July. A number of states have no data reported and are marked with an “NA” instead of a “D” for...
Read morePecan Kernel Biochemistry
The pecan is one of the hardest working plants on earth and needs pecan growers to work just as hard to develop kernels properly and fully. The kernel is almost all fat with little sugar or carbohydrates. Complex and arduous, the biochemistry of pecan kernel development is possibly one of the most difficult biological processes...
Read more
96th TPGA Conference Focuses on the Future of American Pecans
The annual Texas Pecan Growers Association conference was held in Frisco, once again, where attendees from across the country gathered to hear from a number of speakers, talk with friends, colleagues and exhibitors, and celebrate the TPGA Executive Vice President’s retirement. The conference opened with the pecan mini-shortcourse, a “great way to get acclimated to...
Read moreBig Data for farming: a boon to all or a boondoggle?
After almost 50 years of being on the farm at all hours of the day and all days of the year, regardless of weather or holidays or vacations, I must admit I am a bit skeptical of all the claims being made for all kinds of different data gathering programs, all kinds of fertilizers, additives,...
Read more
Tropical Storm or Not, the TriState Conference Remains
Growers, buyers and pecan enthusiasts didn’t let the threat of a tropical storm stop them from attending the annual TriState Conference in Monroe, Louisiana on June 22. With a canceled orchard tour and concerns over flash flooding and heavy rain looming, some guests and organizers worried that attendance would be low and travel dangerous. But...
Read more
Don’t Forget About Pecan Leaf Scorch Mite!
During the recent Texas Pecan Growers Conference there was an excellent panel discussion on “Varietal, Physiological and Climate Effects on Pecan Quality” with panel members being state pecan horticulturists from Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and the Noble Foundation out of Ardmore, OK. During the discussion, one of the important points that was mentioned several...
Read more