Georgia pecan growers are enjoying a good crop this year. But
University of Georgia experts say last year’s bad crop will
continue
to haunt shoppers, creating higher retail prices.

Over 100 Million-Pound Crop
Expected

“After the devastating crop last year, Georgia pecan
growers
have come back with estimates of 100 million to 110 million
pounds
of pecans,” said Tom Crocker, a horticulturist with the UGA
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“This is good news for growers, because their inventories
coming into 1999 are low,” he said.

Crocker, an Extension Service pecan specialist, said early
pecan harvesting is a definite marketing niche for Georgia
growers.
“This early market is good for Georgia growers,” he
said, “but after Thanksgiving we may see a drop in the
market.”

Unlike other Georgia crops, pecans weren’t drastically
affected
by this year’s drought. “It may have affected some of the
nonirrigated trees and caused the nuts to not fill out,”
Crocker said. “But for the most part, the quality of the
crop looks very good.”

So what does this mean for shoppers who want Georgia pecans
for snacking and holiday baking?

Prices Will Be High

“Despite the decent crop this year, prices will stay
relatively
high because of the low carry-over inventory from last
year,”
said Wojciech Florkowski, a CAES agricultural economist.

“The retail prices are going to be at least as high as
last year’s prices,” he said. “And last year’s prices
were high because of the poor crop.”

Florkowski has worked closely with the pecan industry for the
past 10 years. He says wholesale pecan prices have risen $2 per
pound over the past four years.

Higher wholesale prices turn into higher retail prices.
“This
year, if you can get shelled pecans for $6 a pound, that’s
good,”
he said. “The prices are quickly moving up into the $7
range.”

Wholesale pecan prices have been exceptionally high over the
past few months due to low supplies from last year. “We’ve
seen very little product movement because there was very little
inventory from last season,” Florkowski said. “The
carry-over
from last year is one of the lowest on record.”

Florkowski said retailers sell pecans “first in, last
out.” “When they get the new pecans in,” he said,
“they take last year’s pecans out of storage and sell them
first.”

For This Year’s Crop, Shop Farmers
Market

If you plan to buy more than just a pound or two, consider
shopping the nearest farmers market.

“The farmers market offers a fresher product, and you
may get a better price because there’s lower overhead,” he
said. “Farmers markets sell the pecans straight from the
growers, and most growers don’t have cold storage facilities.
They sell their nuts as they harvest them.”

“Desirables” and “Stuarts” continue to
be consumers’ favorites, Florkowski said. Both are widely grown
in Georgia. Desirables have a naturally light-colored skin and
kernel. Stuarts are prone to be darker-skinned nuts. But past
studies have shown they taste the same to consumers.

(Photograph by Scott Bauer, United States Department of
Agriculture.)