Pecan growers not certain about crop - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Pecan growers not certain about crop

October 10, 2003

Lee County --It's pecan time in Southwest Georgia. Workers have already started shaking some trees in orchards. But there are still questions about whether this will be a good pecan crop.

 Roy Goodson checks the quality of money maker pecans. The President of the Georgia Pecan Growers Association, Goodson says he still does not know if this will be a good or down crop. Goodson said "This has been the hardest year to try to predict what we will end up with."

After five years of drought, the rainy summer has been a mixed blessing for pecan growers. Goodson said "We did not have to water, but the disease problem has been terrible. We have had to spray for disease and insects twice or two and a half times as much. So we have a lot in this crop, and have to get something for these nuts, or we will not make any kind of return, or profit."

After shaking these trees, a good number of pecans are on the ground. They are good quality. But scab disease can be seen on the developing nuts on the top branches, and that could hurt profits.

Goodson says he hopes good quality pecans will bring between one dollar and one dollar fifty cents per pound, making for a fair season.

Georgia ag experts think state growers will produce around 90- million pounds of pecans this year.

posted at 3:44 PM by jimw@walb.com