December 2025 Archives - Pecan South MagazinePecan South magazine | The pecan industry's leading publication, published monthly for pecan producers, processors and all others involved or interested in the pecan industry.

Image 1. Order of root system (Image provided by Stephanie Adams)

by Stephanie Adams Studies

Tree Health Starts in the Roots

Root health is the most overlooked factor in pecan productivity. When trees decline, attention often turns to foliar nutrients, water availability, or soil fertility. Yet the real story begins belowground—within a complex system that most growers rarely see. Healthy soil and healthy roots are not synonymous. A pecan orchard can have biologically rich, well-structured soil...

by Charles Rohla Native Timbre

Profit per Acre, Over Production per Acre

For years, we have been taught that the way to be more profitable is to increase production. Higher yields per acre lead to a more efficient and profitable operation. In fact, for some, this metric, production per acre, is the bragging rights that validate your success as a producer. However, in today’s agricultural environment, chasing...

Figure 1. Mechanical thinning of selected medium- and heavy-crop trees to reduce them to light or medium crops, used as a comparison to naturally heavy- and light-crop trees for analyzing molecular changes in shoots, leaves, and buds. The orchard is located at the Oklahoma State University Cimarron Valley Research Station. (Image provided by Lu Zhang)

by Lu Zhang, Mohadeseh Jahanifard and Ming Yang Studies

Understanding Alternate Bearing in Pecan Trees

Alternate bearing in pecan trees, also called biennial bearing or masting, describes a cyclical pattern in which a tree produces a heavy crop in one season (the “on” year) followed by one or more seasons of light or minimal production (the “off” year). While this inconsistent fruiting behavior occurs in many perennial fruit and nut...

by Lenny Wells Southeastern Shakings

Management of “Forgiving” Cultivars

In the Southeastern U.S. production region, profitability depends mainly on two factors (excluding price) — volume of production and scab resistance. These two variables largely determine net profit in a pecan operation. They take into account output by the tree and the cost of production. In doing so, they cover two of the three legs...

by Kayley McCabe, Kitchen McCabe Recipes

Gingerbread Pecan Pear Cake with Maple Pecan Caramel

Prep Time: 1 h 45 mins Naturally sweet pecans combine with gingerbread and maple caramel in this show-stopping dessert. Poached pears are placed in the middle of the cake for a beautiful presentation when sliced. Ingredients For the poached pears: 2 cups apple cider 1 cinnamon stick 6 cloves 3 small pears, peeled (cored from...

by Sarah Dieringer Letter from the Editor

December 2025 Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers, As we move through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what an exciting and informative year it has been. As many of you may know, I am relatively new to the pecan and agricultural industries, and I have spent my first year...

by American Pecan Promotion Board Industry Updates

From Pie to Pieces:

The American Pecan industry is closing out the year with strong momentum by capitalizing on the time of year when pecans are in the spotlight on many holiday table spreads around the country. However, the American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB) is doing it in a way that brings new value to the supply chain and...

by Various Goods & Services

Classifieds December 2025

The December 2025 Classifieds features available equipment, property, trees, services, and more from industry members. These classifieds can also be viewed at the back of the December 2025 issue.