September 2026 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.

September 2026 Classifieds

The September 2026 Classifieds feature available equipment, property, trees, services, and more from industry members. These classifieds can also be viewed at the back of the September 2026 issue.

Figure 3. Adult male Steinernema feltiae. Imagine by Kate Anderson.

by Abigail L. Kropf, Jermaine D. Perier, Eddie K. Slusher, David Shapiro-Ilan IPM Report

Optimizing the Use of Beneficial Nematodes for Control of Pecan Weevil

SUMMARY Pecan weevils are a significant pest of pecan, causing damage through feeding on the nut. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are beneficial organisms that cause high mortality to pecan weevil with studies showing a 1% survival rate of the pest after 2 years of nematode applications to the soil beneath the tree canopy. Methods of application...

by Various Remembrances

Celebrating the life of Kellis Claude Berdoll

Kellis Claude Berdoll was born in Austin, Texas on June 27, 1940, to Ivy and Claude Berdoll. He spent his childhood working with his dad and brothers in the farming business in and around the Garfield Community. The Berdoll brothers were known for their expert knowledge and ability in harvesting and plowing. Kellis developed an...

by Various Remembrances

Celebrating the life of Virgil Ernest Haley

Virgil Ernest Haley passed away peacefully on July 29, 2026, at the age of 100. Virgil devoted his life to family, farming, and service. Born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, Virgil moved with his family to Roswell, New Mexico, where they farmed and operated Haley Green Valley Market. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War...

An image to represent Pecan South's Advertisers for this issue.

by Various Goods & Services

September 2026 Advertisers

Pecan South September 2026 advertisers share their products and services between the pages of this issue. Below, we present a full list of our September 2026 advertisers and their contact information. ACES Food Systems LLC American Pecan Promotion Board, 817-916-0020 Bergen Ag Innovations, Inc. , +1 432-788-4600 Big Star Hardware Durand-Wayland, Inc. Eastern Plains Insurance...

Lakota pecans developing during the critical August and September kernel filling period in Tifton, Georgia. (Photo by Lenny Wells)

by Lenny Wells Southeastern Shakings

September is A Time of Change in the Pecan Tree

By the time September arrives, the pecan tree’s priorities are shifting, and with this shift, the tree’s physiology undergoes a change. Much of this change is related to nut maturity. The rapid nut growth of June and July has passed, shells have hardened, and we are entering the final stages of kernel filling and development....

Pecan develop on a regenerative orchard near Salto, Argentina. The visit gave New Mexico growers a firsthand look at sustainable orchard management and production practices within Argentina's growing pecan industry. (Photo courtesy of New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

by Jenny Green Events

Branching out: New Mexico’s pecan industry looks to Argentina

International partnerships continue to play an increasingly important role in strengthening New Mexico agriculture. In March 2026, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) took another step toward expanding those relationships through the 2026 Director’s Innovation and Trade Mission to Argentina, a weeklong educational and trade-focused program designed to expose New Mexico agricultural stakeholders to...

Figure 1: The density of obscure scale is revealed by scraping bark. (Image by Ted Cottrell)

by Ted E. Cottrell IPM Report

Watch out for Obscure Scale on Pecan

No insect that attacks pecan is more appropriately named than the obscure scale (Melanaspis obscura). This cryptic pest is usually first noticed on pecan only after trees exhibit poor growth, sparse foliation or limb death. Although this topic has been covered many times in past issues of Pecan South, it is being addressed again because...

Mary Santos with Paso Pecan Farms connected with the group as she shared details about their farming operations, history, and lifestyle. Jeffrey Ivey Rancho La Isla, not pictured here, also helped discuss with the group what they are doing differently to improve their farming and business. (Image provided by Blair Krebs)

by Blair Krebs Events

Cracking Open Indian Market Opportunities: An All-Women Reverse Trade Mission

Sell pecans into India? When said that simply, it sounds like an easy enough task. Open a new international market for pecans thousands of miles away? Sounds a little more difficult. Working within the pecan industry for years to make sure each building block of developing a market is completed? That is the labor intensive,...

by American Pecan Promotion Board lndustry News

American Pecan Promotion Board Launches First-Ever Food Service Bootcamp to Unlock Growth Opportunities for Pecans

For years, pecans have earned their place as a beloved ingredient in home kitchens, holiday traditions and bakery favorites. But a significant opportunity remains largely untapped: food service. To help the industry better understand this complex channel and identify new opportunities to grow pecan usage, the American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB) hosted its first-ever Food...

by Lu Zhang, Mohadeseh Jahanifard and Ming Yang Studies

What We Are Learning About Pecan Alternate Bearing

At the 2026 Oklahoma Pecan Growers’ Association (OPGA) Annual Meeting & Trade Show, we had the opportunity to share recent findings from our USDA-supported research on one of the most challenging problems facing pecan growers—alternate bearing. Nearly every pecan producer has experienced years with heavy crops followed by years with very light production. While growers...

by Sarah Dieringer Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor

September is here, and harvest is fast approaching. Some growers in the central and southeastern regions are checking their trees and will soon begin shaking their earlier-variety trees, but the further west you go, the longer folks will wait to shake and harvest. This year’s hot summer and varying weather conditions across the pecan-growing regions...