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Pecan Tree Buds Begin to Swell

As the Southern US and Mexico prepare for a new pecan growing season; pecan growers in South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil are preparing for pecan harvest season to begin. Growers in the various regions say the crop looks pretty good. South Africa is expecting another record breaking crop, while some growers in Argentina say they had a lack of rain this year and are not sure what the quality will be this year. The trees are loaded with pecans but the lack of rain raises quality concerns for the meat yield and kernel development in the nuts. US pecan growers are finishing up planting and the pecan trees buds are beginning to swell. In the southeast growers are preparing to apply their first fungicide applications in the near future. Growers planting new orchards are finishing up, and putting in irrigation. Many existing orchards with hurricane damage are also replacing irrigation as well as filling in uprooted trees. Many US growers are still holding pecan crop from the harvest waiting for prices to improve. Currently the US has committed to just under half a billion pounds of pecans to deliver while cold storage reports show far less pecans available. However with the foreign pecan production, there may be enough global supply to fill demand, but the year has only just begun and demand is very high.