July 2018

A Tale of Two Enterprises: Pecans and Cattle

Regardless of the total acreage of a pecan grove, the trees themselves occupy only a small portion of the physical ground space most of the time. This leaves much of the total acreage as simply ground cover, usually grass, which can be maintained by regular mowing or haying of the grove floor. Many producers choose...

Fall Webworm—Not a Big Threat, Just a Big Pest

One of the most visible and obvious insect infestations on pecan has to be the fall webworm, where those unsightly webs seem to just appear overnight. The fall webworm is native to North America where it feeds on a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs, with feeding preferences varying on geographic regions. In North...

Unleashing the Scarecrows

Crows belong to the genus Corvus, which is also the family that includes blue jays. Although there are probably more than forty species of crows, the ones that make life difficult for Oklahoma pecan growers are American Crows, and growers east of the Mississippi may also encounter Fish Crows. But a crow is a crow...

Pecan Production Worldwide

USA The America Pecan Council has started a nationwide promotion of pecans aimed to increase pecan-nut awareness and consumption in the United States, which currently is about half-a-pound per person. This is a very important step since a good number of people living in big urban areas in the country know little about pecans so...

Putting the American Pecans Brand to Work for You

Much has been shared about the new American Pecans, The Original Supernut consumer brand and marketing campaign in recent months. From national and local news placements to social media advertising to the “Good Morning America” segment, the American Pecan Council has been hard at work promoting the nutrition, versatility and rich history of pecans to...

Water Needs of Pecan Trees: Revisiting McFarland & Worthington’s Lysimeters

Water is life to a pecan tree. Water mediates photosynthesis and the production of carbohydrates vital for growth and the development of leaves, limbs and nuts. Water transports and distributes many plant nutrients throughout the tree that are harvested by its roots. And transpiring off the surface of pecan tree leaves, water acts as an...

July Advertisers

Texas Pecan Board schedules election for three at-large slots

BRYAN, TEXAS — The Texas Pecan Board will hold elections in August to elect three board members where current members’ terms are expiring. The board was established in 1998 after pecan growers throughout Texas voted into effect a one-half-cent-per-pound pecan assessment to provide funds for promotion and research. Nine pecan producers serve on the board....

No Holding Back, Good ‘Ole H20

Let’s face it. Fruiting is a high-stress event for any tree. If there are other stresses compounding this event, either this year’s fruit quality or next year’s performance will be impacted significantly. As a perennial crop, ultimately what you do this year sets that crop up for success or failure next year. However, there are...

South Africa—The Pecan Industry’s Next Paradigm Shift?

For over 200 years, pecans have been the best kept secret of American agriculture. With limited supplies and no substitute in various industrial applications, butter pecan ice cream and pecan pie to name just two, there was no need for the pecan industry to market their product. Americans, particularly those living south of the Mason-Dixon...

Letter from the Editor: “Wait and See”

Dear Readers, Like every year, July seems to be the month that sets the tone for the oncoming harvest. This month growers finally have a general idea of what their 2018 crop will look like—for better or worse. The industry continues to share state crop estimates from growers associations (Those will be published in the...