Integrated pecan production systems

Orchard management practices provided through NMSU are one of the driving forces in pecan production for Dona Ana County. Attendee’s at the Pecan Conference, and Pecan Field Day learned of new cultivars, nickel nutrient deficiency, and orchard floor management, to mention a few topics. Through this information from NMSU, pecan farmers are learning; the symptoms of nickel deficiency and how to correct it, new cultivars for earlier harvesting that can lead to higher profits, and new whole floor mulchers to eliminate the need to burn pecan pruning’s. The agent is helping his clientele learn more about these systems through literature and on site consultations.

Dona Ana County is the largest pecan producing county in the United States, and the largest agricultural industry in Dona Ana County. Each year the Western Pecan Growers Conference is held in March. This conference is regarded as the best pecan information conferences in the U.S. Each year the conference strives to incorporate the best speakers in the U.S. to cover important pecan topics related to it’s producers. These topics range from orchard floor management, insect/disease control, nutrient deficiencies, harvesting /processing, international/domestic trade, pricing, and labor issues. The agent and specialist are working together to help farmers produce the best pecans in the nation. Due to these efforts pecan farming has increased in the county with new acreage being added, and continues to be a profitable profession. Information provided through the university system has allowed the farmers to make better decisions in irrigation, fertilizers, and pest control. Because of the universities research based information, the farmers are makeing better decisions in their orchards which has led to increased profits.

Pecan nut case bear scouting and reporting took place for crop year 2009. Producers were advised of appropriate actions via e-mail, news paper articles, and newsletters. The impact of PNC was minimal with less than a 1% loss to PNC compared with a 12 to 23% loss when control measures are not implemented. The proper use of integrated pest management for pecans increases the gross revenue to the county producers by about 4 million dollars.

Due to late freeze and high spring wind most pecan orchards have a low production yield for crop year 2008. This makes it very important to retain all the nuts possible. Ten producers were advised on water impacts and need in mid -summer in an effort to reduce the normal August nut drop. Six of the producers reported back that they felt like they had reduced their late summer nut drop in half. However these impressions could be a result of low nut count to start with. Based on cluster counts it is predicted that this year yield will be about 60% of last years.

In cooperation with Chaves county extension agent a pecan field day was held with 32 producers learning about bio security, irrigation management and pest management as well as soil fertility and nutrient management. Cooperative effort with NMDA and the City of Artesia for control of Pecan weevil was initiated this year as well as a grower education program

The “Pecanigator”.
The “Pecanigator” is an irrigation scheduling device designed by a team of NMSU researchers and extension personnel. The original design was a cardboard “slide rule”, but now is available online. It is designed specifically for increasing pecan profitability per acre-foot of irrigation water applied under the conditions of Dona Ana county (where 70% of New Mexico’s pecan acreage is found), but may also be used in most of New Mexico’s other pecan producing counties. In informal surveys, growers have been overwhelmingly positive about this device. One prominent, mid-scale pecan grower from the Mesilla Valley has informed me that he had tried unsuccessfully to develop a similar device on his own—he now uses the online “Pecanigator” to schedule irrigations for his orchards. A Mesilla Valley certified organic pecan grower has said, “I want to get [“Pecanigators”] out to some of these small organic (and some conventional farms) that think 4 irrigations per season suffice--then they whine when they grade out 52%!!! I saw the device at the NM Pecan Growers workshop. Simple and easy to use.” NMSU CES agriculture/horticulture agents in all New Mexico counties with appreciable pecan acreage have expressed to me that the “Pecanigator” is extremely useful for growers in their counties—but agents in eastern and northern pecan-growing counties have expressed a need to adapt it for conditions particular to their counties.

Western Pecan Growers Conference.
The 2008 Western Pecan Growers Conference had >300 attendees from around the western U.S. At the end of the 2008 conference, attendees were given surveys to assess the educational program. As in 2007, attendees participating in the survey were nearly unanimous, stating that conference speakers addressed topics that were immediately relevant to them and that the information conveyed will directly affect practices in their pecan orchard operations. The few complaints that arose mainly dealt with issues that the attendee had with a speaker (i.e., “too scientific”). Also, following the 2008 WPGA conference, the association’s board evaluated the educational program which I coordinated. Nineteen (out of 21) of the board members also gave a very positive review of the conference program—confirming that the presentations provided information immediately applicable for pecan growers throughout the west. Two board members, however, were concerned that specific issues of particular areas within the western pecan region were not addressed adequately. I will attempt to address these concerns in the upcoming 2009 WPGA conference.