January 2020

U.S. and China Sign Phase One of Trade Agreement

The United States and China signed “Phase One” of their trade agreement on Wednesday, further opening up trade negotiations between the two countries and halting the 18-month trade war. This first phase reduces some U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, includes intellectual property protections, and requires China to increase its purchases of U.S. agricultural products. Marked...

Pecan Tree Space Management

Pecan orchard design and tree spacing require a series of important decisions for every grower. Once trees are in the ground, growers experience the profit or loss with their original plans and their long-term production or lack of production. I have, from time to time, been entertained by pecan business world investors and developers who...

Trade Wars Explained

For the last several months, one of the most contentious topics in the morning news, on social media, and around the table in my local coffee shop has been the trade war with China. Most days I can keep my mouth shut and just listen, but recently I feel compelled to educate readers on the...

Water Fight in the World of Pecans

Out in the western part of the American Pecan Belt, the sun burns hot, water runs scarce, and pecan trees grow for miles and miles. Growers look forward to a bright future and continue to plant in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and around the El Paso Valley, Texas. But a cloud looms over growers...

Know Your Nuts – From Flowering to Fruiting

Scheduling irrigation, pesticide sprays, and preparing the orchard floor for harvest are all tied to how pecans develop into mature nuts, and how they grow in any given year. Our current language about pecan growth highlights some key growth points. One such example is the water stage—the best time for fruit thinning to better regulate...

Sharing the Pecan ThanksEverything Pie with America’s Kitchens

The Creation of the Pecan ThanksEverything Pie This holiday season, the American Pecan Council was on a mission to spotlight the true versatility of pecans. Our goal was to show that pecans work equally well in savory dishes as sweet, and are a crucial ingredient in every part of a seasonal celebration. Many brands are...

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You’ve got brush to burn. Here’s how to do it.

As the harvest season winds down for another year, we are often left with mounds of limbs, which need to be handled by being moved or perhaps burned in place. Such litter is the result of the shading out of branches, broken limbs from either too many nuts and leaves, wind damage due to the...

Pecan Trees Prepare to Face Winter Head-On

Winter can be horrible news for plants, even here in the “balmy” Southwest. The days get shorter and sunlight intensity decreases as we approach winter, making photosynthesis tougher and tougher. In addition, plants have no choice but to slow all activities way down as temperatures dip, since the rates of a plant’s metabolic processes are...

Letter from the Editor: “Imagining the Next Decade”

Dear Reader, Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! Although I’m writing this in December of 2019, I imagine how I’ll feel when you all read this, and we’ve officially entered 2020. 2020—it sounds so strange. Can you believe it? This January provides us with a moment of reflection and preparation. As we enter into this...

Developmental Pruning of Nursery Pecan Trees

I feel truly fortunate and blessed to have been born into the pecan industry and to have been able to make a living at something I truly love to do. It has not always been easy, but it has been gratifying. I was also fortunate to have a mentor to encourage me early on. My...

Growing Pecans for Today’s Market

We’re still trying to rebuild in much of Georgia’s pecan production region after the destruction caused by Hurricane Michael and the issues caused by the tariffs imposed last year on pecans. Growers are rehabbing their orchards and replanting pecan trees. Some orchards have been cleared and completely renovated with new plantings. And surprisingly, I am...