Louisiana pecan growers who were eager to bounce back from a less-than-stellar crop last year will likely have their hopes dashed this year, with smaller-than-usual harvests predicted for the state and nationwide, according to the LSU AgCenter.
Insects, mites and disease have caused trees in Louisiana to defoliate and yields to drop. But fortunately, prices and demand remain strong, says LSU AgCenter pecan specialist Charlie Graham.
Louisiana growers will likely harvest 4 million to 5 million pounds of pecans this year, Graham says. Between 260 million and 270 million pounds are forecast for the national total, which he says is low for an “on year.”
Pecan trees alternate between “on years” with heavy production and “off years” with lighter production.
Harvest in Louisiana typically begins in October, and most growers want to finish by Thanksgiving. But wet weather can prolong harvest into January.
Heavy rains in August saturated the soil enough to allow shuck splitting to proceed normally despite recent dry conditions, Graham says. Drought sometimes delays shuck split, leading to increased vivipary, or premature germination, of nuts.
Nationally, growers will harvest fewer pecans this year, partly because Hurricane Hermine in September caused extensive damage to trees in Georgia, the No. 1 pecan-producing state.
International demand has continued to grow. Pecans are a novelty item in many countries, Graham says, and are especially popular in China, where customers like to buy them for the Chinese New Year.
Graham estimates Louisiana has between 19,000 and 21,000 acres of native pecans, but there has never been a requirement to report pecan acreage. Some pecans are grown commercially, but many more come from trees in people’s yards and in native groves in river bottoms. Most are sold to shelling facilities in other states because there are only a few in Louisiana.
Louisiana’s national ranking for pecan production varies from year to year but generally falls between fifth and seventh place, Graham says. Georgia, Texas and New Mexico hold the top three places, respectively.
In 2015, Louisiana pecans had a gross farm value of about $6.5 million, according to the AgCenter Ag Summary.
