July 2019

New Study Reveals an Inverse Association between Nut Consumption and Cardiovascular Diseases

July 2019. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting approximately 17.9 million people in 2016.1 A healthy diet is one component of the type of lifestyle that should be promoted to deal with this global health concern. Several healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean...

USDA Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers

(Washington, D.C., July 25, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced further details of the $16 billion package aimed at supporting American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals. In May, President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy in line with the estimated impacts of unjustified...

5 Tips to Prevent Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion

He had followed all the rules. He wore a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses. He drank water—or so he thought. But that wasn’t enough. Jim Kepner still spent his Fourth of July in the hospital. A day earlier, Kepner—a pecan enthusiast from Friendswood, Texas—started his work in the morning to beat the unrelenting sun. He wore an...

Report from Capitol Hill

The U.S. Congress has finally passed agricultural disaster legislation and President Donald Trump promptly signed the bill into law. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working to get resources to growers harmed by natural disasters. After being hit hard by Hurricane Michael, pecan growers in the Southeast may benefit from this legislation. The following are...

The 101 Series: Transaction Models 101

Upon the completion of the American Pecan Council’s Strategic Planning Process, the APC with the help of the Boston Consulting Group identified five main areas of change and opportunity for the pecan industry. Although all five are vital to the success of the industry, one component—“the need to modernize transactions”—continues to receive the most questions....

How to Get the Most Out of Your Fungicides

In the midst of a big turn-down in the pecan market, growers need to cut costs to make up some of the loss in profit potential. The problem is there are only so many things you can do. Crop load determines how much nitrogen you need to apply, so you can only cut corners there...

Off to a Fast and Rocky Start for 2019

As we escape the springtime challenges of freezes, low nut set, poor pollination, excessive rainfall scab, and a large pecan nut casebearer population, the long hot Texas summer begins for pecans. We had great winter rains with no major freezes. Spring budbreak was early and strong with continued spring rains, and our current pecan foliage...

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Pecans take starring role in nutrition trends

Pecans are prized for their delicate nutty flavor, heart health benefits and culinary versatility in recipes both sweet and savory. But there are even more ways to champion pecans today because they fit right in with contemporary food trends. Eat Your Plants You don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat like one. Identified as...

Foliage-Feeding Caterpillars threaten more than just leaves

Over the past several weeks, I have received numerous calls and emails regarding foliage-feeding caterpillars on pecan trees. Currently, there are several Texas counties reporting infestations of walnut caterpillar, most of which are in residential areas and on trees not treated for pecan nut casebearer. The most common calls I have received have related to...

Take your head out of the canopy, focus on the orchard floor

Although the goal of a grower’s orchard operation remains the same—to produce and sell the best pecans—the steps a grower takes to create the perfect crop changes as an orchard’s needs, scientific recommendations, and the seasons change. Oftentimes, a producer may find themselves so focused on the details of management that they forget about how...

Filling your pecans requires you to control & manage what you can

As the dog days of summer encroach upon another pecan growing season, it seems like we are always talking about water—either there’s not enough or way too much! Just like every year, some places across the Pecan Belt have had excessive amounts of rain, whereas other orchards have been getting just enough. The big difference...

Letter from the Editor: “We are here to support you”

Dear Readers, As we all know and have witnessed, pecan growing is hard work. It takes blood, sweat, and tears mixed with a dash of ingenuity, a cup of know-how, and a pinch of good luck. This hard work has almost come to fruition. At this moment, pecan trees across the United States are working...