By Clint Thompson
Alabama Pecan Growers Association (APGA) President Bran Futral predicts a crop load this year of about 3 million pounds. That’s if the state does not encounter a tropical storm or hurricane type of event.
Futral made the declaration following the organization’s annual conference in mid-September. He said growers have high hopes for this year’s crop as they prepare for harvest season.
“We had about 50 growers that gathered down in South Alabama, and everybody was super positive about their crop. It is kind of the last mile, right. Anything can happen with storms and stuff, but everybody’s really positive,” Futral said.
“Overall, the early rains in spring leapfrogged us into a good nut set. We had good pollination across the southern half of the state. Everybody up north is doing really good, too. Honestly, I think Alabama is probably going to come in just north of 3 million pounds. It would put us right at or slightly above last year.”
Although the state is currently mired in a prolonged drought, it did experience its share of rain events that led to some scab disease. But the disease failed to be as impactful on the crop as it had in prior seasons.
“The guys that are serious and still in it now, a lot of them in the past 10 or 12 years have planted improved varieties. The scab, although it’s significant because of the number of rain events, we had guys that got seven or eight sprays, and they’re clean as a whistle,” Futral said. “The scab for us, we just didn’t hear that being as big of a deal as it has in years past.”