USDA Releases New Voluntary Grades and Standards for Pecans
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) published new voluntary grades and standards for inshell and shelled pecans on the U.S. Federal Register. These new standards replace the current grades, revise scoring guides for defects, create new sizes, and offer revised definitions. Specifically, AMS has revised the standards for current grades with...
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More Senators Call for Promotion Funding for Pecans
In a recent letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock expressed that they “were disappointed to see the U.S. pecan industry receive a woefully inadequate allocation” under the USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). The senators from Georgia highlighted the potential to diversity and increase export opportunities, stating that half of...
Read moreU.S. Senators Say Pecans Need More Promotion Funding
Seven Republican senators “express strong concern” about the recent trade promotion funding from the USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which they say “appears to unjustly support markets for various tree nuts over pecans.” In a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack, the senators say the new RAPP program heavily favors the almond, walnut, and pistachio...
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Smart Apply Welcomes Lasseter Tractor as an Authorized Dealer, Adds Six Locations in South Georgia
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (June 4, 2024) – – Smart Apply, Inc., maker of the Intelligent Spray Control System that enables high value crop growers to achieve significant reductions in chemical use and costs, automate spraying, minimize environmental impact, and capture data while spraying, today announced that Lasseter Tractor Company is now an authorized Smart Apply dealer. Smart Apply’s dealer network now includes nearly 460...
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June 2024 Classifieds
The June 2024 Classifieds features available equipment, property, trees, services, and more from industry members. These classifieds can also be viewed at the back of the June 2024 issue.
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Growers Observe Dieback in Trees Affected by Drought
Spring has definitely sprung, and most pecan trees are off and growing, though drought remains in many areas. Luckily, there has been rainfall to “green up” the landscape, but many well, river, and lake levels are dropping. Without significant rainfall, these levels will only continue to drop. We all remember what a vicious year 2023...
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National Pecan Shellers Association Transitions to New Management in Summer 2024
The National Pecan Shellers Association announces that it will change management from Kellen to the Texas Pecan Growers Association (TPGA) this summer. “NPSA’s current management company, Kellen, has served us well over the past 20+ years, but increasingly, the membership felt we should explore our options,” says NPSA President Alex Willson. “After much behind-the-scenes work,...
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Pecan Industry Collaborates to Bring Pecans to India Through USDA Agricultural Trade Mission
The American Pecan Council (APC), along with the Georgia and New Mexico State Departments of Agriculture (GDA and NMDA), Georgia Pecan Growers Association (GPGA), and the Georgia Pecan Commission, attended a recent USDA agricultural trade mission to India aimed at growing the industry’s global relationships to drive exports. The week-long mission included opportunities for both...
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National Pecan Federation Updates Industry on 2024 Farm Bill
U.S. House Agriculture Committee Schedules Farm Bill Markup for May 23 The U.S. House Agriculture Committee recently released its “2024 Farm Bill Overview” and announced that they will be marking up this legislation in committee on May 23. Full bill text is expected to be released on May 17. U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T....
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Letter from the Editor: “Get by with a Little Help”
Dear Readers, Growing pecans is hard. Growing pecans by yourself with no help? Even harder. Luckily, you don’t have to! There are people across the industry who are waiting to answer your questions, connect you with other industry members and researchers, and provide you with the support and tools needed to succeed. Local, state, and...
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From Mushrooms to Microbes: How Fungi Fine-Tune Orchard Health
Harnessing the beneficial role of soil fungi is an important strategy to ensure the vitality of pecan agriculture for the future, and understanding the soil microbiome is key to a full-bodied picture of soil health. In the southwestern United States, both saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi can aid in the success of pecan trees. The soil...
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June 2024 Advertisers
Pecan South June 2024 advertisers share their products and services between the pages of this issue. Below, we present a full list of our June 2024 advertisers and their contact information.
Read moreA Plant’s Hidden Half—The Importance of Root Exudates
I spent most of last week at an Understanding Ag class at the Burroughs Farm in Denair, California. Even though it was an almond orchard instead of a pecan orchard, discussions on the six soil health principles and the four ecosystem processes were still applicable. Two of the principles we spent a fair amount of...
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