Georgia:

Soggy Summer Dampens Georgia Pecan Harvest

AgFax.Com - Your Online Ag News Source

By Brad Haire

University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

(October 8, 2009) - A pecan-loving disease enjoyed Georgia’s wet summer weather and 
is now blamed for cutting what was expected to be a large crop, 
says a University of Georgia pecan specialist.  But farmers 
still expect to have an “on” year.

“We had a good crop set early in the year, but we’re seeing 
some loses to disease now,” said Lenny Wells, a UGA Cooperative 
Extension pecan horticulturist.

Pecan trees are alternate-bearing, meaning they produce a full 
crop every other year. Most trees in the state are on the same 
cycle, and this is an "on" year for Georgia pecans. Farmers 
expect to harvest 90 million pounds, 20 million pounds less 
than predicted earlier in the season. The state record is 150 
million pounds, set in both 1993 and 2007.

Georgia leads the nation in pecan production. Farmers in 
southwest Georgia, the hub of production, began harvesting 
early-maturing varieties last week.

They are running into the aftermath of a disease called scab, 
the pecan’s No. 1 enemy. The fungal disease scars husks, cuts 
yields and hurts quality. It thrives in wet summer weather like 
Georgia experienced this year.

“We’re expecting a good crop, but not what we could have had if 
you consider the scab problems, especially on our more 
susceptible varieties,” said Bill McWilliams, a pecan farmer in 
Crisp County. “Any time you have a wet summer like we’ve had, 
you will end up with pecan scab.”

Roughly half of Georgia’s 120,000 acres of commercial orchards 
are planted in scab-susceptible varieties, like Desirable, 
Schley and Pawnee, Wells said. Some farmers sprayed as much as 
15 times, or once every 10 days, to keep the disease at bay. 
They still had trouble staying ahead of it. One spray can cost 
$10 to $14 per acre.

Farmers are getting good prices, around $2 per pound, now for 
early-maturing varieties, Wells said. Consumer demand for 
pecans has grown, due in large part to the industry’s strong 
marketing campaign in recent years.

A boost in the pecan market has also come from China’s new-
found taste for the nut. U.S. pecan exports have skyrocketed to 
the Asian country in the past four years and are expected to 
climb higher. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
China imported 2.2 million pounds of U.S. pecans in 2002. Last 
year, they imported almost 44 million pounds.

“With these numbers expected to increase, the Chinese market 
for pecans takes enormous pressure off the domestic demand for 
pecans, allowing prices to stabilize somewhat, which is good 
for the grower, shellers and consumer,” Wells said.

The U.S. is expected to produce between 300 million pounds and 
328 million pounds of pecans this year. Harvest will run 
through Christmas.