At the American Pecan Council Board Meeting in Dallas, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Pecan Council Board Member and Oklahoma pecan producer, Mike Spradling.
The first in-person meeting of the American Pecan Council was held in 2016, Spradling said, and the group is now the oversight of the federal marketing order for pecans. The American Pecan Council represents 17 states in the United States.
Spradling said most of the pecans in the world are produced in the Southern U.S.
“There is probably over 50 marketing orders for all commodities in the U.S., and pecans are one of the newest ones,” Spradling said.
Because the American Pecan Council oversees federal marketing for pecans, Spradling said the group did not have the power to assess foreign markets. Because of this, the American Pecan Promotion Board was developed to provide a Checkoff for foreign pecans entering the U.S.
One thing that is being marketed aggressively, Spradling said, is the health aspect of pecans. There has been research that shows that pecans lower the A1C levels for individuals with diabetes, as it has already been proven to lower those levels for animals with diabetes.
“If we can ever prove that it will lower A1C, we will never be able to produce enough pecans,” Spradling said.
In the 2023 growing season, Spradling said Oklahoma started out with a potentially tremendous pecan crop. Spradling said it was estimated earlier in the season that Oklahoma will yield around 30 million pounds, which is large for Oklahoma.
“We still probably will have a very good crop,” Spradling said.
Now, those estimates have lowered, Spradling said, due to weather and market prices. When the weather keeps producers from harvesting, Spradling said yields are lowered because of wildlife and other factors.
Oklahoma will still have a good crop, but Spradling said prices are not what many have hoped they would be.
Spradling also said Oklahoma is unique because of the large number of native pecans grown in the state.
“Native is generally a pecan that God planted, and the improved varieties are what we planted,” Spradling said.
