July 2020

Texas’ Best Pecans—2019 Texas Pecan Show Winners Announced

Bryan, TX- The Texas Pecan Growers Association announced on Wednesday at its virtual conference the winners for the 2019 Texas Pecan Show.  Each year since the 1940s, pecan growers across Texas send in their pecans to be judged by variety in hopes to win a Grand Champion award. According to TPGA, “The Texas Pecan Show...

Five Generations of Farming, First Generation With Pecans

Mark Friesenhahn has a problem. It was the first week of June and his ‘Wichita’ trees were sitting in muck. The tailings pond at the 6-month-old quarry across the railroad tracks north of his orchard broke. The break flooded a good portion of his orchard with tailings, which Friesenhahn describes as “water and clay materials...

The Pecan Crop Corner: July 2020

A new monthly column, The Crop Corner comes in response to popular demand from readers of The Pecan Newsletter. Created and published by Pecan South editors, The Pecan Newsletter provides weekly harvest and market updates from September through January by compiling reports from growers, as well as price and market information from reliable sources across...

Classifieds for July 2020 Issue

PECAN TREES: Bareroot Western Schley, Wichita, and Pawnee pecan trees, (Riverside Rootstock). For information, call Pena’s Pecan Nursery, 3 miles south of Las Cruces, NM 88047; 575-525-9062. Used Savage equipment for sale: (2) 2158 Shakers, 5132 Blower, (2) 8261 Harvesters, (2) Shell Blowers, (2) Crackers 238S, (9) Crackers 244S, Sprayer 5537, Sprayer 5740, (2) V-Sweepers...

Marketing American Pecans During a Pandemic

Entering the full swing of summer feels a bit strange this year. In a season when we’re used to vacations, family reunions and neighborhood barbecues, this summer may look different for many of us. The impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic stretch far and wide, from major cities to small towns, and have affected so...

Pecan Growers Can Receive Relief Through USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Pecan growers impacted by COVID-19 can apply for direct relief payments through the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program by submitting an application to their local Farm Service Agency office between May 26 and Aug. 28. Pecans are included among the eligible specialty crops for this program. According to the USDA, the total payment for specialty...

Letter from the Editor: “Thank you, George Ray McEachern!”

Dear Readers, If you’ve been reading Pecan South for at least a couple of months, you may have noticed that there’s one contributor whose name and articles appear between our pages without fail. Since 1987, Dr. George Ray McEachern has shared his pecan expertise and knowledge with us month after month, year after year, in...

Fifty Years with Texas Pecans, Part II

Many important factors are working together to influence pecans’ profitability in Texas and across the Pecan Belt. Tree spacing, varieties, soil, foliar zinc sprays, nitrogen soil fertilizer, and integrated pest management are some of those factors discussed in Pecan South’s June 2020 issue. Over my 50 years in the pecan industry, I’ve learned that the...

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The Legacy of Dr. Dennis Ring

The Texas Pecan Growers Association (TPGA) began at the dawn of the domestication of the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) in 1921 when the commercial pecan industry was in its infancy. Early pecan scientists focused on horticultural matters that established managed orchards and groves. Orchard acreage and production increased over time to catch up as wild pecan...

Tips for Cleaning Up Storm-Damaged Trees After Mother Nature Throws a Curveball

We’re off and running on another year of growing pecans! So, how many years has it been for you? Can you recall any two years ever being the same? At the moment, the season follows the same pattern as always. Some folks have a crop; some insist they don’t and will not harvest, while others...

Planned Pecan Consumption in China

INTRODUCTION The last several months have seen an increase in calls from the pecan industry for actual consumer research. These calls have largely been driven by the realization that we as an industry do not have a clear understanding of what motivates consumers to purchase pecans in either domestic or foreign markets (Nadler, et al....

Pesky Pest, But Not a Threat

Adult Gray Hairstreak, Strymon melinus. Credit: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.“Have you seen this before?” A common question that arises in early Spring as buds break and leaves unfold and development ensues. In late May and June, some pecan producers may even encounter nutlets with a tiny hole chewed out of it on one side. I wanted...