By Clint Thompson
Harvests for this year’s pecan crop is just a couple of months away. This year’s crop has exciting potential. But success will once again depend on the market prices that growers are able to receive, says farmer Randy Hudson.
“We’ve got a pretty good looking crop. We’ve got some holes, though. Some older trees that had a pretty good crop last year that are really too thick and need to be thinned out, there are some holes in those areas. All of the newer stuff that we’ve got going, 10 years old and older, has got a pretty good crop on it; particularly, some of these newer varieties,” Hudson said.
“It’s sort of a mixed bag. I think whether we make any money or not is going to be contingent on the price. If you take even a good crop, above average crop, and you look at the cost of fuel, repairs and chemicals, growers are going to have to be careful. They’re going to have to manage their expenses.”
Hot and Dry Weather
One expense that producers have not had to apply as much as last year are fungicides for scab disease. Unlike last year’s persistent rains and cloudy weather that required regular applications, this year’s hot and dry weather has helped producers save on applications. Hudson discussed the impact that this year’s weather conditions have had on the pecan crop.
“We’ve been able to save scab sprays but even more so, we still have not mowed yet over here. It’s been so dry, after our clovers and stuff died back, our Bermuda middles and everything have been pretty slow coming back,” Hudson said.
He estimated that growers have saved two trips mowing in their orchards. That has been ideal in helping producers manage expenses.