Pecan crop prediction: average harvest and continued high retail prices

Pecans are probably not on the menu for your Fourth of July backyard cookout, but the shade from a large pecan tree will be a welcome guest.

Texan pecan growers, like all farmers and ranchers, are always thinking, living, breathing and sometimes worrying about their next harvest—holiday or no holiday.

Last April’s freeze, coupled with other factors, yields an uncertain forecast for this year’s crop.

One prediction from Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service pecan and fruit specialist, says the 2014 Texas pecan crop could produce from 50 million to 55 million pounds, according to Southwest Farm Press.

In a heavy production year, a pecan crop would be about 70 million to 75 million pounds total for the state, with 30 million pounds classified as a weak year. A 55 million pound production level, along with increased demand by Asian markets, could mean continued high prices for consumers this fall.