By Clint Thompson
To sell or not to sell. That is the current predicament facing pecan producers in Georgia and Alabama. With prices devastatingly low for growers, despite increased demand and diminished supply, farmers are facing a dilemma of whether to sell their crop right away or store it until the market improves.
Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist, understands the situation pecan producers are in.
“Normally (storing them) works. In our current situation, I don’t know if it will. It’s just a matter of how long you’re willing to hold on to them,” Wells said. “It’s another difficult decision that growers have to make in this whole scenario.
“I think a lot of them that I have talked to have started to hold some. They’re just not comfortable selling with the market like it is. I heard from a grower who was offered $1.50 for desirables. You’re losing money big time at $1.50 on desirables. That makes it tough.”
Frustrating Outlook
Wells noted in the UGA Extension Pecan Blog that pecan prices have actually dropped since this year’s harvest season began. This frustrating development followed significant increases in domestic demand (32% from 2016-2020) and an estimated 28-million-pound reduction in total pecan supplies compared to the 2023 crop.
Georgia, the largest pecan-producing state in the U.S., is expected to lose between 21% and 30% of this year’s crop following Hurricane Helene. It has caused morale to be low, especially for those producers with a bumper crop this year.
“You would think at some point (buyers are) going to have to buy, but we haven’t gotten to that point yet, it doesn’t seem like. They’re all still very hesitant to buy,” Wells said. “It’s time to start selling some pecans.”