North American Pecan farmers watch the pecan markets volatility as the US – China Trade War continues on; Georgia pecan Farmers are watching their nuts size up in spite of Increased rain, humidity and scab pressure.

The southeastern pecan crop is currently in the nut fill stage, and pecan growers are working around the clock in Georgia to keep the scab fungus at bay. This year is far from over and we are now entering the busier time of tropical storm season for the area. With the tropical storm season peaking from around mid-August until late November, many pecan growers in the region are tightening spray schedules to prevent the scab fungus from gaining ground. If you ask a seasoned pecan farmer when the busy time of year is most will of course think of harvest and then spray season. Spray season in the southeast is heavily dependent upon the onset of rains. While southeastern pecan growers deal with insect pressure, the main focus is scab. Currently, most well managed pecan orchards in the southeast are on a 14-18-day spray schedule; but with the rainy season moving into the peak season growers are beginning to tighten spray schedules to a 10-12 day spray schedule depending on the varieties. Most of the world’s largest pecans come from this region. While Sonora Mexico grows a decent amount of large Wichita, it is the Georgia crop that dominates the market and sets the tone for pecan prices around the world. This year could prove to be different with the China – US trade war continuing to burden the price of pecans which is now hovering around $0.53 (NPCN) lower than the same time last year.