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Pecan harvest likely less than half of last yearTULSA, Okla. (AP)--The Oklahoma pecan crop is expected to be down significantly this year because of last year's ice storm, spring rains and a biological quirk of pecan trees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the pecan crop in the state will be between 11 million and 15 million pounds. The 2007 crop produced about 30 million pounds of pecans. The ice storm broke branches of pecan trees and heavy spring rains hurt the development of the nut. And the biology of pecan trees makes it difficult for high yields to be produced in consecutive years. Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association President Bob Knight says farmers are being paid slightly more per pound for the crop which helps offset the reduced yield. Pecan prices at the retail level are also up slightly. "It's not the worst year we've had, but it's certainly worse than last year," said Eric Stafne, a fruit crop specialist with Oklahoma State University's agriculture extension in Stillwater. Oklahoma harvesters expect to pull in between 11 million and 15 million pounds of pecans in 2008, after harvesting more than 30 million pounds in 2007. Oklahoma was the nation's fifth-largest pecan producer last year. Farmers across the state started harvesting the nuts this month. Pecan harvest usually begins after the winter's first freeze, when the shells start to open. Bill Clark of Oologah said he would have just a fraction of the normal haul on his 80 acres of trees. "The ice storms took a lot out of trees, the weather was bad and we had a lot of insect and disease damage," Clark said. "There are a lot of things that can go wrong, and it seems like everything did this year." Clark has already harvested most of his crop, which he ships to processing plants in Texas and Georgia. 12/1/08 Date: 11/26/08 Advertisement
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