Hurricane season coincides with pecan season.
Severe weather is seldom kind to agriculture. A hard freeze too late in March or April shrinks a peach crop, while excessive temperatures and moisture yield lackluster, fungus-ridden tomatoes. Between mid-August and mid-October, the Atlantic faces peak hurricane season, leaving Georgia’s pecan crop particularly vulnerable.
Georgia is the nation’s top producer of pecans, providing about one third of domestic nuts. The majority of Georgia’s pecans are grown in the state’s southern half, a frequent path for Gulf Coast hurricanes. Tree crops are already at risk in a severe storm. Not only does the size and potential damage dwarf vine and legume crops, but trees also require more time for regrowth. Pecan trees generally grow between 70 and 100 feet tall and don’t bear fruit until the age of seven.
Pecan trees between the ages of 8 and 20 — those in prime growing age — are most susceptible to toppling from hurricane-force winds. (Provided by Georgia Pecan Growers Association)
Hurricanes cause short- and long-term effects on pecan farms. Even if strong winds don’t topple trees, such winds can still tear limbs and remove pecans, reducing that year’s harvest and worsening quality.
“The weight the tree is carrying causes greater limb breakage [and] blows fruit off,” said Buck Paulk, owner of Shiloh Pecan Farm Nursery in Ray City, GA, located about 15 miles north of Valdosta. “[The fruit] winds up spoiling on the ground because it wasn’t in a place of maturity where it could sustain itself.”
Read more at RoughDraftAtlanta.com.
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