Attention pecan producers who are interested in serving on the American Pecan Promotion Board. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominations for pecan growers. The deadline is Friday, March 26.
Eligibility requirements include that producers and importers must have produced or imported more than 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans or 25,000 pounds of shelled pecans on average for four fiscal periods.
The 17-member American Pecan Promotion Board will consist of 10 producers and seven importers. The 10 producers will be divyed between three regions within the United States as follows: three from the Eastern Region; three from the Central Region; and four from the Western Region. Initial board members’ terms will be staggered. The USDA will assign the terms of two, three and four years. Each member’s term will begin when the USDA approves the final nominations.
Growers who produce pecans in more than one region may only seek a nomination in the region in which they produce the majority of their pecans.
If you are interested in serving as a producer member, please submit your nominations to info@americanpecan.com. You may also contact Jeff Smutny at (817) 916-0020.
USDA is conducting nominations for importer members. Please submit nominations to Patricia Petrella at Patricia.Petrella@usda.gov.
One of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells’ points of emphasis this winter has been the need for growers to cut costs, not corners amid low prices.
One way to do that is by considering how much nitrogen is needed and in what form. Wells provides insight for growers who need to save money every chance they get.
“Nitrogen, depending on what you use, the cost can be variable,” said Wells during a winter production meeting. “I see a lot of people using 200 pounds an acre or more of nitrogen. I can tell you, from doing research on this myself and from reading the research that has been done for 100 years on pecans, in the Southeastern U.S., there’s not really benefit at all to applying more than 100 to 125 pounds of nitrogen per acre. If you’re applying more than that, you’re probably applying too much.”
Nitrogen Forms
Producers also must decide how to apply the nitrogen. There’s different dry nitrogen forms that farmers can use, including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and urea.
“Ammonium nitrate has gotten expensive and hard to find because of some of the storage issues that are related to it now, the safety involved. Ammonium sulfate is a good source of nitrogen and urea; those three are about the only three we have used here,” Wells said.
Based on a research study on the UGA Tifton campus the past six years, Wells has researched the different nitrogen forms and their impact on yield, percent kernel, nut count. There is no difference in all three. Wells’ recommendation is to proceed with the least expensive, which is Urea at $34.56 per acre at 100 pounds per acre. Ammonium sulfate costs around $63.09 per acre.
Wells also recommends that growers split their nitrogen applications, applying 75% in April and an additional spray in June and late August if needed.
UGA CAES photo: Uprooted pecan trees due to Hurricane Michael. 10-11-18
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells encourages producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) program. The deadline for the USDA program, which provides assistance to farmers who suffered eligible losses due to natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, is Friday, March 5.
Georgia producers were significantly impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018. According to UGA Extension, pecans suffered $100 million in direct losses to the crop in 2018, $260 million in losses due to lost trees and $200 million in direct losses for future income.
According to the USDA, the program will assist producers whose eligible crops suffered quality losses due to such natural disasters as qualifying drought, excessive moisture, flooding and hurricanes.
Wells also noted that in addition to Hurricane Michael, pecan producers would also qualify for the 2019 season when hot and dry conditions late in the year led to losses in pecan quality.
“The best documentation you can provide will be an invoice from your buyer with the price and percent kernel showing loss of quality and price along with another invoice from this buyer within the same time period for similar lots showing no quality loss or perhaps even a letter from the buyer verifying this quality-based loss,” Wells said in the UGA Pecan Extension blog.
Click here for more information about the program.
Southeast pecan producers interested in serving on the American Pecan Promotion Board can submit a nomination no later than March 26.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominations for the board under the Pecan Promotion, Research, and Information Order.
The board will be comprised of 17 members; 10 producers and seven importers. The producers will be divided between three regions: three from the Eastern Region; three from the Central Region; and four from the Western Region.
Each member’s term will begin when USDA approves the nominations.
A producer or importer who has produced or imported more than 50,000 pounds of in-shell pecans (25,000 pounds of shelled pecans) on average for four fiscal periods is eligible to serve. Producers who produce pecans in more than one region may seek nomination only in the region in which they produce the majority of their crop.
Nominations for producer member seats will be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture by the American Pecan Council, the 17-member federal marketing order governing body. If you are interested in serving as a producer member, please submit your nominations to info@americanpecan.com. You may also contact Jeff Smutny at (817) 916-0020.
For more information about the program, visit the AMS American Pecan Promotion Board webpage or contact USDA Promotion and Economics Division Deputy Director, Patricia Petrella, at (301) 337-5295 or Patricia.Petrella@usda.gov.
In a time when prices are low and expenses are high, pecan producers need to cut costs, not corners. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist, believes farmers can hold back in applying certain nutrients this year, if there is an abundant supply already in the orchard.
UGA photo/Shows young, immature pecan trees at the Ponder Farm on the UGA Tifton Campus in 2016.
Take phosphorus for example.
“Most of our orchards are high in phosphorus. Once you get phosphorus levels up in an orchard, they tend to stay there a long, long time,” said Wells during one of his winter production meetings. “For pecans, basically if your soil phosphorus is less than 30 pounds per acre, then you need to broadcast phosphorus in the orchard. If it’s more than that, a broadcast application is just not going to do you any good.
“We have situations where we have orchard soils that are that are higher than 30 pounds per acre and your leaf phosphorus is low. What’s happening there is, there’s something going on in that soil that’s tying up that phosphorus and it’s not available to the tree. The only way to get around that is to do a narrow band application of phosphorus over the drip emitters in the wet zone where the irrigation is. A broadcast application is not going to help. This narrow band application overwhelms that spot with phosphorus. The tree can then take it up in that zone where you’ve concentrated it.”
If farmers can avoid applying phosphorus, it will save them about $18 per acre.
Torrential rains this year have impacted farmers across the Southeast. Vegetable farmers are unable to get in the fields to apply plastic in preparation for the upcoming season.
File photo shows a pecan orchard flooded.
One commodity group that could also feel the sting of excessive rainfall this winter are pecan producers. While trees are currently dormant, their production could be affected this year and years to come.
“Pecans actually adapted in areas that got seasonal floods. They kind of evolved their natural range in areas that have seasonal floods this time of year. The big caveat on that is they grew on well-drained soils,” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells said. “They can stand water-logging for a little while, especially when they’re dormant. But that soil needs to be well-drained so that it can drain off quickly. Ideally, they wouldn’t be in standing water for more than a few weeks. This time of year, there’s a little bit of leeway. They’re a little more tolerant of it this time of year. The worst time for something like this to happen would be anytime during the growing season, really; bud break especially, as the new foliage and the crop load is developing, that’s the worst time for it.”
Young Trees At Risk
Standing water is especially harmful to young orchards in poorly drained soils. Those trees that are newly planted, a couple of years old or younger. If they’re in soil that doesn’t drain well, in standing water for weeks up to bud break, they’re going to be stressed and more attractive to ambrosia beetles.
According to the UGA Weather Network, Tifton, Georgia received 13.66 inches of rain from Jan. 1 to Feb. 17, compared to 6.72 in 2020 and 5.8 in 2019. In Albany, Georgia, there were 11.1 inches recorded, compared to 8.15 in 2020 and 8.34 in 2019.
One pecan variety could be a valuable option for producers seeking a low-cost input variety to plant.
Photo by Lenny Wells/UGA: Shows Lakota pecans.
Lakota is a low-input variety where producers don’t have to spray much to manage it throughout the season. It has thrived in research trials on the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton campus, according to UGA Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells.
“The yields on Lakota have been very impressive. You can see this year, we’re looking at about 4,300 pounds per acre. I think 159 pounds per tree was the average. Yields have been phenomenal. The count has been good; 63 nuts per pound. It’s a smaller nut than what you see with Desirable and Pawnee, but it’s in the range that shellers would like,” Wells said.
UGA Tifton Research
In 2020 low-input test trials at UGA Tifton, Lakota yielded 4,296 pounds per acre at just $1,124.08 per acre. Selling at $1.35 per pound, the gross total was $5,799.60 with a net income of $4,675.52. By comparison, Desirable yielded 1,434 pounds at $1,448.90 per acre and generated just $2,249.10 gross income and $800.20 net income.
“Our gross income off Lakota was $5,800 roughly per acre. The net was around $4,700 per acre. I don’t know of many crops you can grow, much less pecan varieties, that are going to generate that kind of income,” Wells said.
Potential Problems
Wells cautions pecan producers about a few issues that pertain to growing the Lakota variety. Overbearing is an issue so fruit thinning is required for consistent yields. Also, the kernel’s color is darker, especially when compared to a comparable variety like Excel.
“It seems like every variety has some problems. One thing that is an issue is the color. The kernel color of Lakota is much darker than it is for Excel. That is a red flag to me,” Wells said. “I have run this by a few shellers. Two of them have told me it’s not a problem. One had a concern with it. I’ve seen nuts come out of Mexico and some out of the western U.S. that had this same kernel color; Wichita, Western Schley; shellers buy like crazy and are not too concerned with. Maybe it’s not as big of an issue as I feel like, but I still wonder how much of this the market can take.”
It’s a matter of survival for pecan producers. After a season in which prices were drastically low, farmers need to cut costs, not corners.
UGA File Photo/Shows spraying being done in a pecan orchard.
Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist, emphasizes the importance of reducing input costs, starting with lime applications.
“Of course, we know orchard soils need to be around 6 to 6.5; that’s where your pH needs to be. If you’re in that range, there’s never been a study that has shown any advantage to liming beyond that. Once you get that pH to 6 to 6.5, if you check your soil samples every year and you’re in that range, you don’t necessarily have to apply any lime,” Wells said. “I think probably in most cases, we could go to applying lime maybe every third year or just look at your soil samples and see and do it when it falls below 6.0.”
If growers only apply lime every third year, it could save producers as much as $27 per acre.
“On really sandy soils a lot of times, pH is going to drop faster. So, you’re going to want to keep any eye on that,” Wells said. “Of course, your herbicide strip is going to drop faster than in the middles where you have some vegetation. I would do your sampling based on the herbicide strip.”
As disappointing and disheartening last year’s pecan season was for Southeast producers, 2021 has the potential to be worse – if producers don’t take action or if prices don’t improve.
It was a bountiful crop for Georgia with yields projected at 135 million pounds. But considering that pecan trees are alternate bearing (if they produce a good crop one year, they are less likely to produce a similar result the following year), a decreased crop next season will not compensate for the market, if low prices linger.
“If our prices are as bad as they were last year, and we don’t have the volume there, growers are really going to feel the pain then. This year, the prices were low, but it was a really good crop and most growers had enough volume to offset some of the low prices. It may have hurt their feelings but most of them would have gotten enough to pay their bills and keep going,” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells said.
“If we have a similar situation this year and have a lighter crop as we would expect after such a big year, it could get ugly in that situation.”
Trimming Expenses
Wells is encouraging producers to trim expenses when possible.
“Certainly in the situation that our market is in right now and just not knowing, it may be better than it was last year or it may be the same or it may be worse; we have no way of knowing. In that situation, it would really help to watch your inputs closely,” Wells said.
The two main areas are in fertility and with fungicide sprays. Fertility, which includes lime, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous and zinc, account for a little more than 10% of variable costs. Fungicides, which include sprays for scab disease, account for about 12%.
“Between those two, if you can find some savings, you can really make a dent in your costs of production,” Wells said.
Soil and Leaf Samples
Soil and leaf samples are crucial in helping producers understand the conditions of nutrients in their orchards. In many instances, nutrient levels in the soil in older orchards don’t need to be replenished every year. That will save producer additional input costs.
“We did a survey back in 2007 that showed for a lot of these nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, zinc, a lot of the older mature orchards, the soil levels are good. There’s going to be some variation based on soil type and location. But some of these nutrients, like phosphorus and zinc especially when you get them to the point they need to be, they’re going to be there for a while. You don’t necessarily have to apply them every single year,” Wells said.
While fungicide sprays for scab disease are essential, especially in production seasons with a lot of rainfall, one alternative is to plant varieties that are much more scab resistant, like Avalon.
Photo by Chris Tyson/UGA; Shows pecan plantings being done at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center.
The University of Georgia (UGA) broke ground on Wednesday at the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center for a new 5-acre pecan research and demonstration plot.
Photo by Chris Tyson/UGA: Shows a hole for a pecan tree to be planted.
The planted trees will highlight research that focuses on new and current varieties and be used as a location for producer demonstrations as well as other research projects.
Virtual Production Meeting
The University of Georgia will host virtual production meetings on Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. and March 9 at 6 p.m. Pecan team members including Lenny Wells (Horticulture), Angelita Acebes (Entomology), Jason Brock (Plant Pathology) and Andrew Sawyer (SE Area Pecan Agent) will provide presentations.
