The 2024-2025 pecan harvest is well underway in the southeastern US and pecan growers are reporting an exceptionally good quality crop. Parts of Georgia were recently hit with yet another devastating weather event (hurricane Milton) early last month that has reduced the available crop by millions of pounds and left some growers with massive cleanup efforts.
While Hurricane Milton did significant damage across Georgia the state is still estimating the damage and the overall effects on this years supply won’t be known for some time but has tightened the already short supply this year.
The southwestern US is expected to have an “off” year this year, while their production swings are mild compared to the southeast, this is yet another concern for pecan buyers across the US and the globe.
So far growers in the Southeast are reporting very good quality along with strong demand from early buyers. The industry continues to struggle with mediocre farmgate prices even in the face of rising demand.
Investments in new orchards continue to increase as growers trade out old varieties for new improved cultivars and once idle land is put into production. This harvest season is off to a rocky start in part of Georgia, but other parts of the state are seeing good harvest weather and good quality coming into the barns.