Letter from the Editor: “Second Annual Harvest Photo Contest”
Dear Readers, At this time last year, we announced our first annual Harvest Photo Contest. The winner, Dan Shepherd, was featured on the cover of our February 2019 issue. His photo of his North Missouri farm cloaked in snow on a cold February morning wowed Pecan South readers and staff. This year we’re continuing this...
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What Are a Pecan Orchard’s Ecosystem Services?
A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggested agriculture held part of the answer to climate change. Farmers often meet climate change with skepticism, but before you label me as a fruitcake for bringing this up, hear me out. I’m not here to judge or sway your opinion on climate change....
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What’s Around the Bend for Industry Data and Analytics
The summer months have been eventful for the American Pecan Council (APC). Committee meetings took place at the end of July, the second Pecan Congress met on Aug. 20, and the APC General Council Meeting followed on Aug. 21. Thank you to those of you who joined us at either or both these events! The...
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How to Maintain Pecan Kernel Quality Year After Year
As you ponder the quality of this year’s crop, you need to think about what goes into producing quality pecans. Producing top-quality nuts used to seem easy and simple, but as your trees grow and age, consistently growing quality kernels becomes more challenging. The difficulty increases when you add in the fact that no two...
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Building your brand across multiple markets at half the cost
In the American pecan industry, it is impossible to remain insulated from export market forces, especially today. From counter-tariffs in China to the predicted growth of South African pecans, all U.S. growers and shellers, whether they export or not, are competing internationally. Thankfully, American pecans have several key supports in place. The American Pecan Council...
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Arizona Pecan Growers Meet for Conference
The Arizona Pecan Growers Association hosted its annual Conference and Trade Show on Sept. 5 through 6 at Desert Diamond Casino and Hotel in Tucson, Arizona. Growers from throughout the West as well as vendors and other industry members kicked off the conference with a Reception and Social on Thursday night. This social was followed...
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GPGA’s 2019 Fall Field Day
Georgia pecan growers gathered at King Springs Pecans in Hawkinsville, Georgia on Sept. 5 for the Georgia Pecan Growers Association’s Annual Fall Field Day. There, they heard from the King Springs crew and owners, who talked about their management practices, “biblical stewardship,” and irrigation. Paul Quiros, one of the owners of King Springs Pecans studied...
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Accurate Diagnosis is Critical
Examine the rows upon rows of mature pecan trees in your orchard. Tall, sturdy with a full canopy, these trees may look close to perfect to an unfamiliar observer. But like with almost everything in life, once we enter the orchard, once we stand beneath the canopy, and once we look close enough at these...
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Watch out! These invasive species may threaten pecan production
No one has ever said that growing pecans is easy. From planting to producing trees, we have to deal with animals, diseases, insects, and weeds, all of which can have a devastating impact on our bottom line. For routine problems like scab, pecan nut casebearer, weevil, squirrels and crows, we know pretty well what we...
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Managing Late-Season Pecan Stress
Much of the Texas pecan crop for late 2019 is under stress due to the lack of rain in August and early September. Our year started with excellent rainfall in the early season for much of the state; however, in July, the rains stopped and the heat increased. And the stress followed soon after. The...
Read more23rd Día del Nogalero in Delicias
Each year we are honored to celebrate el “día del Nogalero” in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. The 23rd event took place on Aug. 28 through 30 and was a complete success. This important event inaugurated our new convention center, which hosted industry service providers with a 43,000 square-foot outdoor field equipment show. The equipment show featured...
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