Nut Talk

Pecan production drops 33 percent in 2006

TULSA, Okla. The government is predicting a 33 percent drop in pecan production in Oklahoma this year, but some experts believe the crop could be even smaller.Oklahoma ranks fifth nationally in pecan production and recorded a record crop of 63 million pounds in 1999. Pecan growers harvested about 20 million pounds last year.
But the U-S Department of Agriculture says Oklahoma will produce 14 million pounds of pecans this year. The harvest could be as low as only 8 million to 10 million pounds.
Drought, bugs, animals and high fuel prices plagued producers, which means higher prices for shoppers.
The U-S-D-A says pecan production nationally will be 190 million pounds, down 5 percent from October's outlook and 32 percent below last year.