Pecan harvest decent despite weather, disease

RAYMOND, Miss. -- While most Mississippi pecan producers are reporting fair to good crops, dry summer weather and disease reduced harvest at some orchards.

“It appears to be somewhat of a mixed bag,” said Eric Stafne, fruit and nut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, referring to the state’s pecan crop.

“Some growers are happy with their harvest, and some are not,” he said. “From what I’ve seen, that somewhat depends on the varieties being grown and the ability to effectively manage disease.”

A dry August and widespread pecan scab will likely impact fruit quantity and quality in some parts of the state, Stafne said. Pecan scab is a fungal disease, generally made worse by wet weather, that infects leaves, shoots and nuts. Infected trees drop leaves and nuts prematurely. Severe infections can wipe out an entire crop.

James Callahan, president of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association, said he is hearing from growers across the state about the challenges they faced.

“While most are reporting a fair to good crop, many growers went without rain during the critical summer months,” Callahan said. “Growers in the northern part of the state received plenty of rainfall up until about June and then very little in July, August and September.”

“Scab was worse than usual throughout the state, even in the northern part of the state where we had no rain.”

While Callahan pointed out that north Mississippi is seeing drought conditions for the third year in a row, Stafne noted that growers may also still be seeing effects of the 2023 and 2024 drought.

“Drought typically has a long-term effect, and it could compound other stressors in the environment,” he said. “Orchards that were irrigated likely have no lingering effects, but others may still be seeing problems like reduced nut production and tree decline.”

Mississippi expects to harvest around 1.5 million pounds of pecans in 2025, although this is likely a low estimate because many smaller producers do not report their harvests, Callahan said.

The state has an estimated 18,000 acres of commercial pecan production. The Mississippi Pecan Growers Association currently has around 50 members.

While Mississippi’s pecan production is likely larger than these estimates, few younger producers are getting into the business, Callahan said. That fact affects the overall market, along with competition from lower-priced imports, low market prices, high input costs, equipment costs and labor shortages.

In response, Callahan said more and more producers are selling part or all of their crops themselves in their local markets -- from their orchards and at farmers markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 50-pound sacks of improved pecan varieties brought an average price of $149.98 between January and October 2025, compared to $174.31 last year and $167.36 in 2023. Native varieties went for an average of $145.83 between January and October 2025, compared to $151.19 in 2024 and $148 in 2023.

“So far, prices are relatively lower than previous years,” said Elizabeth Canales Medina, an Extension agricultural economist. “However, it is important to note that prices are highest in November and December, so the average price for 2025 is likely to be higher by the end of the year.

“Also, prices in 2024 were a bit higher likely due to lower supply in Georgia because of reduced production after Hurricane Helene.”

For MSU Extension publications on growing pecans, visit http://extension.msstate.edu/content/pecan-publications. For information on where to buy Mississippi-grown pecans, visit the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association website at https://mspecans.org/buy-ms-pecans.