LAS CRUCES - A frigid night last week and continuing cold weather since has been just what pecan growers in Doña Ana County were waiting for.

Temperatures dipped into the 20s across the county Thanksgiving night, a so-called "killing" freeze that farmers usually wait for before starting the harvest.

The sharp cold snap kills tree leaves and dries up the husks around the pecan shell, prepping nuts for the harvest.

Pecan buyer and grower Phil Arnold said after such cold weather, it typically takes several days for the orchards to dry out enough for harvesting to begin in earnest.

"Usually if you get a very hard freeze, where it freezes the husk, it takes a week until you start harvesting," he said.

Even before last week, Arnold said some farmers already had started harvesting the fringes of their orchards because some lighter freezes have already killed the leaves there.

That was the case for Anthony Pecan Co., which harvests its own orchards, as well as for other growers, said Frank Rubio, foreman with the business.

"We've already shipped a few loads," he said last week. "We did most ends on all our trees."

Some workers could be seen operating harvesting machinery Friday
Advertisement
along N.M. Hwy. 28 south of Las Cruces.

Pecan trees tend to produce a heavy crop one year, an "on" year, and a light crop the next, an "off" year. This year is an "off" year.

Even so, experts have said New Mexico's production is expected to be larger than usual for a light year. A federal forecast in early October estimated that some 56 million pounds of in-shell pecans will be harvested.

The last "off" year, 2008, New Mexico's crop totaled about 43 million pounds.

Also, some growers have said they expect prices to hit record highs, thanks to the fact the nation is in a light year in the production cycle and demand for the crop has continued to escalate in China.

The New Mexico market hasn't gotten off the ground yet, said Jim Brueggen, state director for the National Agricultural Statistics Center with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And while prices are expected to be strong, Brueggen said, people in the industry are reluctant to speculate about how high they might reach.

"Until the crop is harvested and until the pecans are shelled, no one is going to commit much," he said.

Rubio said the market still seems strong.

"It's probably going to be record prices," he said. "It's better than any other year that has been."

Arnold said the chances for thievery also increase as the prices increase, one detriment of a good market year.

"I know it's a concern of pretty much every grower I've talked to," he said.

Between now and the end of the year, Arnold said, farmers will be hoping for dry weather. Rain prevents machinery from working in the orchards and has caused delays in past years. That happened in 2009.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - The donation of 1,000 pecan trees will allow New Mexico State University to expand its research.

University officials say the donation from Linwood Nursery in California gives the school nearly 30 acres of pecan trees for research.

They say that's the largest university pecan research acreage west of Texas and the third largest in the country.

New Mexico has an estimated 40,000 acres of pecan trees, which produced about 70 million pounds of pecans valued at $133 million in 2009.

NMSU's Extension pecan specialist, Richard Heerema, says the new trees will help researchers get a better handle on the ideal levels of water and nutrients.

He says they'll be able to study other areas, including pest control and pruning.

The trees were planted at Las Cruces and Artesia science centers.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Study suggests pecans may delay progression of motor neuron degeneration

Lowell, MA - Eating about a handful of pecans each day may play a role in protecting the nervous system, according to a new animal study published in the current issue of Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research. The study, conducted at the Center for Cellular Neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, suggests adding pecans to your diet may delay the progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration. This may include diseases like amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Researchers suggest vitamin E - a natural antioxidant found in pecans - may provide a key element to neurological protection shown in the study. Antioxidants are nutrients found in foods that help protect against cell damage, and studies have shown, can help fight diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer and heart disease. Pecans are the most antioxidant-rich tree nut and are among the top 15 foods to contain the highest antioxidant capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"These findings suggest regular consumption of pecans may provide significant nutritive and antioxidant benefits for your body," said lead researcher Thomas B. Shea, PhD.

Dr. Shea and his research team carried out a number of laboratory studies on three groups of mice specifically bred to demonstrate severe decline in motor neuron function that are commonly used in studies of ALS. Each of the three groups was fed a control diet or one of two diets containing differing amounts of pecans ground into their food. Standard testing methods were used to determine how well the mice scored relative to motor neuron functions, both before and after they were provided with one of the three diets.

Mice provided a diet supplemented with pecans displayed a significant delay in decline in motor function compared to mice receiving no pecans. Mice eating the diet with the most pecans (0.05%) fared best. Both pecan groups fared significantly better than those whose diets contained no pecans. The result was based on how the mice performed in highly specific tests, each of which compared mice on the control diet with mice consuming pecan-enriched diets.

"Eating healthy doesn't have to mean eating bland," said Beth Hubrich, a registered dietitian with the National Pecan Shellers Association. "Pecans are a tasty addition to a healthy diet and scientific research continues to show they're good for you as well."

Eating a handful of pecans will also provide you with more than 19 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and several B vitamins, Hubrich said. Pecans are naturally cholesterol-free and sodium-free.

For more information on the health benefits of pecans, recipes, photos and much more, visit www.ilovepecans.org.

# # #

The National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA), a non-profit trade association, is committed to educating culinary and health professionals, food technologists and the general public about the nutritional benefits, variety of uses and all around great taste of pecans.

Pecan trees across the country cycle between a heavy crop one year and a light crop the next. And though this year is a light or "off" year, it's going to be bigger than usual, according to forecasts so far.

Hatch pecan grower Donald Archer said he's seeing what could turn into a heavy yield in orchards that weren't hurt by a freeze in late spring.

"Here in town, the trees are very heavy," he said. "But others will be off about 30 percent - the ones that got frosted."

A recent industry forecast predicted that New Mexico will produce about 57 million pounds in 2010. Were that to materialize, it would be up significantly from 47 million in 2006 and 43 million in 2008 - in-shell production for the most-recent "off" season years.

Archer said his trees seem to have benefited from a late-season application of fertilizer. He said he's started applying smaller amounts of fertilizer more frequently than he once did, which is improving production from year to year.

A bumper crop could be good news for pecan shoppers, but the price we'll ultimately see at the supermarket will be determined by a number of factors, including an emerging foreign market

Phillip Arnold, a Las Cruces pecan farmer and buyer, too, said he's expecting a larger-than-usual "off" year crop in New Mexico. Several factors are behind it, including that trees planted in
Advertisement
previous years are beginning to mature, and a gradual change in how farmers are managing orchards. He said growers have been doing a good job of pruning trees before heavy crop years, which helps conserves the tree's energy for future "off" years. That makes the differences between years smaller.

"Our production in an 'off' year is continuing to rise up slightly," he said.

Plus, Arnold has noted that trees in the eastern part of the state are likely to produce more pounds than usual because of frost damage last year.

While production may be greater than in years past, Arnold said he's doubtful it will quite reach the mid-50 million mark that the industry has forecast so far. Still, he said, the low 50 million level is possible.

Nationwide, the forecast - released last month by the Texas Pecan Growers Association - predicted about 292 million in-shell pounds to be harvested, up from 207 million produced in 2006 and 194 million in 2008.

While a bumper year may be in the forecast, Les Fletcher, who farms pecans north of Las Cruces, said he's not expecting it on his own orchard, and "I don't think it's going to be the case in the Mesilla Valley." Fletcher said a lack of rain during a key month last year, combined with the fact last year was a large crop, placed stress on the trees, which he believes will impact this year's production. In addition, there were problems with aphids, an insect pest.

"It's a different opinion," he said.

Archer said he also trims trees to keep production from varying greatly from year to year.

Arnold said August is a key time in the growing season. That's when pecan trees tend to shed a percentage of nuts and grow those that remain. He said the crop will benefit from occasional rainfall - too much standing water starves the roots of oxygen - and temperatures that don't skyrocket.

"Particularly in the month of August, you don't want to stress the trees," he said.

Arnold said growers are "cautiously optimistic," but noted that, while conditions look good now, the unpredictable nature of farming can always change things before the harvest.

"Until you get the money in the bank, you really don't know where you're sitting," he said.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

The Original article can be viewed here.

Our Two Tier Tower is sure to please any pecan lover!  Our base tin contains our 1-1/2 lb four part sweet tin and the top tier contains 1lb of our three coated pecan flavors, which includes Yogurt, Butterscotch and Chocolate!

Hello all!

I am excited to announce we have added a new product to our list of great products!  One word describes this new addition,"YUMMY".  Our new addition is Licorice Bridge Mix.  This mix is a variety of different kinds of licorice which includes: Licorice Pastels, licorice centers covered in colorful, crisp, toothsome shells. Licorice Buttons in red and black. Non-pareil Licorice Buttons covered in colorful non-pareil seeds. Great gift idea, or a sweet snack. 

Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to add our first post on Tularosa Pecan Companies new Blog!  We are excited about all the new changes happening on our site!  We have a new blog, new look and we will be adding new products!  We will be adding the recipes to our new blog that customers have sent us, our house baker will even sometimes make the recipes and give us updates!  Keep checking back to our site and see whats new! Thanks to all our valued customers!