By Malinda Geisler, content specialist, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University.
 
Revised June 2007.
 

Overview

Pecans are regarded as the most important commercial nut crop grown in the Eastern United States. Unlike other nut crops, pecans are grown throughout the southern United States. Top production states include Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma. The 2006 U.S. crop was 189,000 pounds and valued at $301 million. Commercial production is reported in 15 states. The United States produces more than 80 percent of the world’s pecans.

Pecan consumption averages 0.48 pound per capita, which is second to almonds and slightly greater than English walnut consumption.

In 2006, the United States exported 31,817 metric tons of pecans valued at $160 million. Top U.S. pecan buyers include Mexico, Canada and Hong Kong. The United States imported 40,264 metric tons of pecans valued at $162 million. Most pecan imports originate from Mexico.

Source

Pecans: The Native Tree Nut, Economic Research Service, USDA, 2003 -  This five-page report provides an overview of U.S. pecan production, consumption, usage and exports.

Other Links

• B & B Pecan Company of Fairhope, Alabama, started in 1956 as a mail order business. The online store offers several products including corporate gifts.
• Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri.
• China Agricultural Data, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2001 - Information on production, cost of production and trade.
• Delta Pecan Orchard is a family-owned orchard in the Mississippi Delta at Tutwiler, Mississippi. It has its own shelling facility. Delta Pecan sells gifts and makes pecans available for fundraisers.
• Economic Importance of the Pecan Industry, New Mexico State University, 2000 - This link provides an overview of U.S. pecan production and prices.
• Fruit and Tree Nuts, Economic Research Service, USDA.  
• Home Fruit Production--Pecans, Texas A&M University Extension - This online bulletin reviews site selection, variety selection, pruning, harvesting and frequently asked questions.
• International Trade in Pecans, New Mexico State University, 2005 - This document reviews trade between the world's number one pecan producer, the United States, and the number two, Mexico.
• International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) - The tree nut industry is a worldwide industry with production in more than 30 countries and consumption in more than 100 countries. The INC's mission is to endorse activities that provide its membership new opportunities for increasing global consumption of almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.
• Kight’s Pecan Orchard, University of Kentucky, 2000 - This case study explains how a Kevil, Kentucky, grower developed the only large-scale commercial pecan operation in his state.
• Marketing Channels for Pecans, New Mexico State University, 2003 - This document reviews production and distribution, tree nut consumption and pricing.
• National Pecan Shellers Association - This nonprofit association promotes the use and nutrition of U.S. pecans.
• Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Statistics, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
• Northern Nut Growers Association, Inc. - Experts on pecans may be located by selecting the pecans box on this link.
• Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association - To provide a common forum for the processors and manufacturers of peanuts, tree nuts and related products, and the suppliers of goods and services, in order to further the advancement of the industry.
• Pecan, Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center, University of California, Davis - Various links to the research of the center, as well as current crop information, publications, pomology-related cooperative extension and weather services.
• Pecan, Integrated Pest Management Guidelines, University of California, Davis. 
• Pecan Pests, Integrated Pest Management, Oklahoma State University - Digital diagnostics for pecan insects and diseases. 
• Pecan Publications, University of Georgia - This link includes information on the pecan weevil, fall webworm, insect guide and disease guide.
• Point Coupee’ Pecan of Glynn, Louisiana, sells several varieties of pecans by the case and in gift packages. The family-owned company offers customers five ways to order: toll-free phone number, online shopping, mail, e-mail and fax.
• Profitable Pecans Worth the Wait in Missouri Alley-Cropping Systems, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education - Pecans, gamagrass and buffalo add diversity to this central Missouri farm.
• Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Pecans (pdf), University of California Cooperative Extension, 2005 - This research study uses a hypothetical pecan farm to illustrate production costs and returns.
• Sustainable Pecan Production, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2000 - This guide provides sustainable and organic production information.
• Tree Nuts, FAS, USDA.

Links checked February 2008.