Agricultural News
Upcoming School Focuses on Pecan Orchard Management
Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:20:01 CDT
Pecans have traditionally been thought of as a holiday treat or pie filling, but agricultural producers look at this wonder nut as an investment. Many are planting pecans today, hoping to grow a brighter financial future.
To provide this timely information, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will host a Pecan 101 School, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 20, at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center, located at 2610 Sam Noble Pkwy., Ardmore, Okla.
During the workshop, Noble Foundation consultants will detail the fundamental steps for initiating a new pecan enterprise. Participants will learn about pecan production; nutrition, pest and crop load management; harvest and post-harvest handling; and economics of pecans. Noble Foundation horticulturists will also provide an overview of the pecan industry in the U.S. and the world.
"Successful pecan management requires a broad base of knowledge, and this workshop helps lay the foundation for those who are contemplating starting their own enterprise," said Charles Rohla, Ph.D., assistant professor and Noble Foundation pecan specialist. "A review of these fundamentals can also help agricultural producers who have pecans on their property better use this valuable resource."
This school is open to the public but preregistration is requested. Registration fee is $5 and includes a copy of the Noble Foundation Pecan 101 book. For more information or to register, please visit www.noble.org/agevents or contact Jackie Kelley at 580.224.6360.
With a combined 320,000 acres of orchards in production, Oklahoma and Texas are two of the five leading pecan producing states in the United States, and more orchards are being planted every year.
The 2012 U.S. pecan crop totaled 302.8 million pounds, a 12 percent increase from 2011. Oklahoma produced 25 million of the total pounds and was the only state to have an increase in the value of pecan production, from $11.4 million in 2011 to $24.7 million in 2012.
Pecans are expected to continue to rank among the top three most popular nuts consumed in the U.S. Total U.S. pecan exports were valued at $486 million. The top importer was China, which purchased approximately 35 percent of U.S. pecan exports.
"Farmers and ranchers are using pecans as a way to diversify their operations," Rohla said. "The downside is the up-front investment and slow return; it may take a decade to see any profit. However, depending on management and marketing strategies, farmers and ranchers can earn from $200 to $3,500 an acre."
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