The Daily Citizen
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 • Page 3A
LOCAL
Pecans see increase in crop, prices BY MARISA LYTLE mlytle@thedailycitizen.com
After a 2010 drought that devastated pecan production in the state, farmers are recovering this year with a dramatically better harvest, as well as a rising demand for their product. The USDA has forecast pecan production at 2.6 million pounds, a 136 percent increase from the 2010 production of 1.1 million pounds. As demand for pecans is on the increase, the average retail price is expected to be as high as $11 per pound. Randy Hardin of Hardin’s Farm and Market in Grady said he is charging a higher price than usual — $3 per pound of unshelled pecans — in order to cover his increased business costs. “It’s not the pecan farmer is trying to rip someone off,” he said. “We’re just trying to survive.” Not all Arkansas farmers are raising their prices, however. Two pecan farmers in White County are maintaining a price of $1.50 per pound of unshelled pecans. Joan Smith of McRae operates The Nut House on her eight acres of 94 adult pecan trees and 12 more she planted only last year. “My parents moved into this old farmhouse in 1959 when I was in high school,” she said. “My dad planted these trees and took care of them. When my folks passed in 2008, I bought the house and land. Now I manage the property myself and take care of the trees.” Smith, a retired school teacher, does all of the mowing and upkeep
herself. “When I took over the business, I tried to study about pecans, because I realized I have to know all about the land and trees, diseases, how to spray the trees and when to spray them,” she said. “I don’t think I knew what I was getting in to when I started.” Smith said her crop seems to be a good one this year, but that overall demand for pecans is high because of droughts and the resulting poor crops in other states, such as Texas. “I’ve had so many people want to come pick my pecans this year because there’s a shortage elsewhere,” she said. “I’ve already had 600 pounds picked this year.” Smith allows customers to pick pecans on halves — that is, they will give half of what they pick to her and will keep the other half. She charges $1.50 per pound for the unshelled nuts the customers take and an additional 30 cents per pound to crack them, which she accomplishes by machine. “With my half of the pecans, I keep some to sell,” she said. “I also give them to my family and to send them to my teacher friends in Houston, where I used to live. A lot of times, though, people want to buy both halves. That’s all right, too.” Smith’s pecans fell early this year, she said. They started falling at the beginning of October, whereas usually they do not fall until November. Typically, she harvests them through December. “People still want their nuts cracked into January and February, though,” she said. Smith said she does not want to drive up her
prices to match the rest of the nation. “I have to make a little money to keep it running, but I just like for people to come pick pecans,” she said. “On a nice day, it’s an activity for them.” Another White County farmer, Thurman Smith of Bradford, is keeping his pecan prices to a minimum despite high prices elsewhere. “The price of pecans is up,” he said. “It all goes back to supply and demand. Texas has had a terrible drought. Along the east coast, hurricanes have wiped out the crops. Another reason pecans are so expensive is China has developed a taste for American pecans. They buy pecans for as much as $4 a pound, from what I’ve heard, and they make some sort of gourmet dish and sell it for around $8 a pound.” Smith has 2,500 pecan trees on his farm and said this year’s yield has been much better than last year’s so far. Even so, for the past few years, he said, many of his trees located in the White River Bottoms have been damaged by flooding. Still, he said he aims to sell his pecans at a reasonable price. “I intend to keep my prices at $1.50 a pound, and I’ll crack them for 25 cents per pound. Just because there’s a shortage, that’s no reason to burn the public. Just as running prices up does not produce more gasoline, nor does it produce more pecans. With the economy how it is, people should still have their pecans at a good price. Let’s cut the people a break.” As the holiday season of pecan pie approaches, consumers may just need that break.
Marisa Lytle/mlytle@thedailycitizen.com
Joan Smith of McRae explains the numbers she paints on her 94 pecan trees to keep track of what sizes and kinds of nuts grow on each tree. In her hand is one of the books in which she places samples of nuts from each tree. “That way, if people want a particular kind or size of nut, I can tell them which trees to go to,” she said. Below, these pecans on one of Joan Smith’s 94 trees are beginning to blacken as they prepare to fall. Smith is the owner of The Nut House in McRae. So far this year, 600 pounds of pecans have been picked on her property.
Euell Kirk, State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, McRae Mayor Bob Sullivan, and Val Valdez, are pictured above during the McRae Veterans Day ceremony held Friday. Dismang was the guest speaker and read the names of the fallen soldiers during the ceremony. The ceremony included a 21gun salute, a presentation of the colors and the playing of Taps by service members from the Little Rock Air Force Base. Contributed photo
Veterans Memorial Mary Lynn Claiborne places a wreath at the Veterans Memorial in McRae. The city displayed crosses with the names of all of the fallen soldiers since the beginning of the 2001 Iraq War. There were 90 crosses on display.
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