Rainfall a Difference Maker in Some Alabama Pecan Orchards
By Clint Thompson
The Alabama pecan crop is harvested and being processed, mostly for the retail market. Those that received more rainfall this year experienced increased yields compared to those that didn’t, says Bran Futral, Alabama Pecan Growers Association president.
“I’ll tell you that central and North Alabama probably didn’t do as well, but the reports from South Alabama are very favorable,” Futral said. “I’ve got a friend around Huntsville and Madison. His orchard up there, he’s probably got about 2,000 trees. He’s irrigated, but it was so dry up there, he was struggling.
“I would tell you that he didn’t do very well this year as far as output. But down south where they got more timely rain events, they’re pretty happy.
“I got off the phone with (a couple of farmers) and they’re coming up with some pecans in Mobile and Baldwin counties. They had some good rains, some very timely rain events that really worked in their favor. I don’t know where Alabama is going to end up this year, but down south they’re doing pretty good.”
Drought Monitor
According to the latest release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost all of the Southeast is experiencing some level of dry conditions. The majority of Alabama is experiencing drought, ranging from abnormally dry conditions to extreme drought, located in Limestone and Madison counties in North Alabama. Severe drought is also observed in two counties just south, Lawrence and Morgan; and also in the western part of the state.
“There’s nothing like rain. We went 43 days one time without a rain event,” Futural said. “It was a tough year when it came to water. What you end up with when you’re strapped on water is your sizing isn’t there, and then of course your quality and your yield suffers just the same.”
Like their pecan brethren in Georgia, Alabama producers also encountered a depressed market where prices suffered.
“The wholesale prices are down, and I can’t understand why. The old traditional supply-demand concept logic, it’s just thrown out of the window. You know that the demand is there, and supply may be relative, but the pricing is just not working out that way. It’s weird,” Futral said.
“We’re not going to take anything to wholesale this year. We’ve been able to move everything to retail; the gift boxes are doing great. We’ve introduced some new products, some snack packs. It’s just smoking hot.”