The Importance Of Good Soil
Another year has passed us by and I’m sure you’ve heard or read many reflections on the events of 2010. As I sit here, pondering the last year’s pecan season, the overriding message has got to be “Wow, what a difference a year makes!!” Last year (January 2010) we were lamenting over the fact that...
Read moreWPGA Set for March 6-8; Registration Underway
The Western Pecan Growers Association will host its 45th annual conference and trade show, March 6-8, 2011, at the Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Registration is currently underway and hotel accommodations can be booked by calling the Encanto at 575-522-4300 or 866-383-0443. The WPGA group rate is $94. For a complete packet of information...
Read moreEl Paso Valley Growers Deal With Water, Soil Salinity
West Texas pecan growers gathered on Jan. 19 in El Paso to discuss their two biggest challenges: water availability and soil salinity issues. Jesus Reyes, the general manager of their El Paso County Water Improvement District #1, brought relatively good news on the water availability situation, at least for this season. Pecan growers in the...
Read moreA New Era for Pecans
In preparation for tax filing and for this coming season’s financing, I have just finished preliminary profit and loss statements for 2010. As was expected, our farming operations had a very profitable year with prices being what they are. The other side of the coin was our fundraising and gift business. That was not so...
Read moreSoutheastern PGA To Meet Feb. 25-26 in Biloxi
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011 7 a.m. Registration – Registration Desk 7 a.m. Exhibits Open 8:30 a.m. Convention Call to Order and Welcome 8:40 a.m. “The Map Funding Initiative and Other Industry Developments” – Hilton Segler 9 a.m. “Promotional Efforts and Research Support by the National...
Read morePecan Orchard Takeover Checklist
What you are about to read is not an article on walnut caterpillar, scorch mites or black pecan aphids — insects that come in seemingly overnight and take over your orchard. Nor is this an article describing what happens when you borrow money and the knock at the front door is your lender. Rather, this...
Read moreOld & New Pecan Varieties for College Station
Last week we collected our pecan graftwood for use in April grafting. We are using stump suckers to grow graftwood for next year. In 2012 we will be grafting 14 acres of 3-year-old seedlings. It is our plan to have strong 2-inch trees and we will place the grafts 4 to 5 feet from the...
Read moreNatural Enemies Important Component of IPM
During this off-season, I want to discuss in a two-part series, beneficial insects or natural enemies associated with pecan and for this month I will highlight the predators with next month’s column devoted to the parasites. By definition, we will define “predator” as an organism that requires more than one prey to complete development. Ever...
Read moreGetting Your Crop from Tree to Pie May Require Flexibility
We are considered to be a small grower. We have a ‘Maramec’ orchard that produced slightly over 20,000 pounds in 2009 with a potential of 40,000 pounds annually when the smaller trees mature. Although small, I take pecan production very seriously. Our orchard is primarily random. I began grafting existing sprouts in 1979. The annual...
Read more