Meet the New USDA-ARS Plant Pathologist
When I tell people that I am a plant pathologist, they always ask how I ended up in this career. The truth is I had no idea that I would find my life’s work in agriculture. My dad was a navigator in the United States Air Force, and my mom was a nurse. We bounced...
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Notes on Judging the State Fair of Texas’ 2022 Pecan Pie Contest
Since its establishment in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has promoted Texas agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment. At 24 consecutive days, the State Fair of Texas is the longest-running fair in the nation, as well as one of the largest. Through its rich and lengthy history, the...
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Tax-free money? Yes, please!
I hate paying taxes. Now do not get me wrong, I am a proud American business owner, and I dutifully pay my share of taxes each year. I am honored to do so, but I also work extremely hard to shave the tax bill every chance I get. What if I said, prepaying your taxes...
Read moreThings We Can Control, Things We Can’t
The pecan industry has received several severe blows in 2018. First, we had the Chinese tariffs go from 7 to 47 percent and consequently the virtual loss of this valuable market. Next, Hurricane Michael ripped through the Southeast and destroyed some of the best pecan orchards in the world, along with two-thirds of the Georgia...
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Listening, Learning & Sharing with Industry
For many, the start of fall signals back-to-school season, the kickoff to football and a much-anticipated cool down – or for those of us in Texas, the promise and hope of cooler temperatures soon. For the pecan industry, it means the final weeks of preparation before harvest. I am hopeful that most of you enjoyed...
Read morePecan Production Worldwide
USA The America Pecan Council has started a nationwide promotion of pecans aimed to increase pecan-nut awareness and consumption in the United States, which currently is about half-a-pound per person. This is a very important step since a good number of people living in big urban areas in the country know little about pecans so...
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A look back and a look forward to what pecan industry can be
Our industry is at a crossroad. Let me begin with two stories that are insightful and revealing. At the WPGA conference in Las Cruces in March of last year, over a breakfast conversation with Dick Walden about the state of our industry, he mentioned an article that he had written in the 1990s entitled “The...
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