PECAN NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2003

VICTORIA COUNTY PECAN SHOW -- ENTRIES DUE OCTOBER 21^st!!

The Victoria County Pecan Show will be held again this year during the South Texas Farm & Ranch Show. DEADLINE for show entries is October 21^st at the Community Center Annex, but preferably October 18^th at the Extension office. Please see enclosed rules flyer for set-up and Show schedule. Note we will be in the ANNEX and will be sharing room with the Victoria County Master Gardener Association members and their GARDEN EXPO.

Read our pecan show schedule thoroughly and see the numbers in the ( ). These numbers reflect the number of volunteers we need to put on the show. Please call Don Stockbauer, our 2003 Pecan Growers' President and volunteer the times you can work.

Also enclosed find the GARDEN EXPO information sheet. It is similar to a Vegetable and Plant Show we urge you to support them in their first endeavor in this EXPO. Bring entries for the various classes you can support, i.e. vegetables, fruits, nuts (no need to bring additional pecans), cut flowers, container plants, etc. NOTICE: There is a class for homemade beer and wine too! Many of you make some - bring your samples. This will be a grrrreat Farm & Ranch Show!

WHO WANTS $250???

That is the prize offered for anyone from Victoria County that raises and enters a Victoria County native pecan that wins Grand Champion in the State Pecan Show. This prize was initiated in 1991 and no one has claimed that distinction. Twelve years the $250 has been on the table waiting for the best native pecan entry.

Some years nearly 40 native pecans entries were received. Each native tree is a genetically different tree, thus a different entry. We've had some good entries too but those years the Regional and State Shows were tough to beat. Don't let that discourage you though. Go out and promote the native tree entries. We need to find new varieties and what better than to start with a new native - one that is already adapted.

I visited with John Gibbs, landowner along the Guadalupe River recently (along with other landowners in the area) and he has lost hundreds of pecan trees due to the river flooding over the past decades. Huge pecan trees that are three feet in diameter or more have died due to too much water covering the ground too long. Other trees also have died including many valuable oaks.

What a loss to see such historic trees gone. How many of these were good natives? How many of these were super good natives? How many of these would have won the County Pecan Show or the State Show? $$$$250.00 Go check your native trees for nuts. You've got to be early - like NOW! Squirrels and birds know the best nuts and which trees they come from.. They'll beat you to it and you'll find only hard shell, fair quality natives.

Encourage your friends or neighbors to search out their native trees for the best entry of nuts. Enter several different trees. Collect at least 100 nuts off each tree and then pick out the best 45 nuts to enter. Tell your friend/neighbor you'll search his trees for half the winnings if he wins the $250.00. Our objective is to get more natives into the show so we can identify superior quality nuts and increase our genetic breeding pool, thus higher quality nuts. Go search! Don't delay!

2002 PECAN CROP

Everything looks good for a 2002 pecan crop. Call have been coming in with limbs breaking, crow eating my pecans, etc. I haven't heard that for several years. While every tree and everyone doesn't have a bumper crop, generally the crop does look good. Although rains were short in the early season, they fell at the most important time: July - August. Some places could use another rain now as it is beginning to get dry.

Pecans are falling on the early varieties and many have already been picked. Keep your eyes open for those pesky birds and squirrels.

CROWS

This is a good news - bad news topic. The good news is that last week I was informed that Texas was granted a label for the avian toxicant, DRC-1339 for use on crows in peanuts and pecan orchards. The label states that "This product may be used to control American Crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos) , Fish Crows (Corvus ossifagus), Chihuahuan Ravens (Corvus cryptoeueus) and common Ravens (Corvus corax) in non-crop areas surrounding peanut fields and pecan orchards or in bait containers within peanut fields and pecan orchards during September, October, November and December only."

I hope that those of you that attended the TPGA meeting heard the presentation on this. This toxicant has been used in Oklahoma for crows in pecans for the past couple of years with good results and we are hoping for the same in Texas. That was the good news. Now the bad news is that DRC-1339 is "only for sale and use by U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel trained in bird control or persons working under their direct supervision". The problem here is that there is no way for USDA-APHIS personnel to get around to every producer in this state during this season. However, four demonstration sites have been set up near College Station and one in Brazoria county where we will monitor bait acceptance and baiting methods. I hope that for next year we will have a system where we can assist as many producers as possible. Bill Ree, Extension Entomologist

TEXAS PECAN SHORTCOURSE

The Texas Pecan Shortcourse will be held January 27-31, 2003 on the Texas A&M campus. This meeting covers all topics related to pecans and provides everyone with the opportunity visit with many different speakers. Registration is $150.00 and parking is $10/day. For more information on this meeting please contact Ms. Jacque Hand at 979-845-7692 or by email at jhand@uc.tamu.edu. This is a full 5 day pecan course and I urge anyone seriously interested in getting into pecan production, whether large or small, to attend. Too many times I see mistakes made by growers that were covered at the pecan course.

INSECTS