South Africa—The Pecan Industry’s Next Paradigm Shift?
For over 200 years, pecans have been the best kept secret of American agriculture. With limited supplies and no substitute in various industrial applications, butter pecan ice cream and pecan pie to name just two, there was no need for the pecan industry to market their product. Americans, particularly those living south of the Mason-Dixon...
Read moreMexico Produces Third Consecutive Record High Crop
Back in September, during their annual meeting, the Mexican pecan growers projected a 2016 crop of approximately 270 million pounds. After 2 consecutive years of record crops, many within the industry greeted the estimate with skepticism even though it is common knowledge that plantings in Mexico continue at a robust pace. On May 5, 2017,...
Read moreNo Preliminary Crop Report; Final Numbers to Come in July
In a Feb. 8 newsletter, Dan Zedan of Nature’s Finest Foods reported some follow-up information on the recent suspension of USDA’s January report for NonCitrus Fruits and Nuts Preliminary Summary. This USDA summary has annually reported on pecan crop production and average prices for the current season. After the suspension of this report was brought...
Read moreAn overview of the 2012/2013 pecan market
Unlike the almond, walnut and pistachio industries where 60 to 70 percent of their production is exported, until 2007, pecans were primarily consumed in North America. Supplies were sufficient to supply the North American market and a limited amount of export. Growers had little choice as to where they could sell their production and the...
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Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: Government Reporting Errors Impact Pecan Industry
Mark Twain once said that there are 3 kinds of lies: “There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Used by many but understood by few, no one can stay in business very long, or expect to be very successful, without good statistics. They are critical to every segment of the pecan industry. Yet for years,...
Read moreOne Observer Says, “Be Careful What You Wish For!”
Change is inevitable. As General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army once noted, “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” During the last century, the pecan industry has experienced a number of changes — the change from hand to mechanical cracking, the grafting of better-yielding varieties, the introduction of...
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