1. The Cost of Producing Pecans---Can We Grow Them for Less? Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Department of Horticulture, Tifton, GA

2. Pecan Returns 200220062008 Production1000 Price1.001.581.30* Variable Costs 851.821015.221534.81 *average price from 2005-2007 Return148.18564.78-234.81

3. How Can We Reduce the Cost of Production? Increase N use efficiency Reduce number of trips over the orchard

5. 40 X 40 12 foot wide herbicide strip: 12/40 = 30% Can reduce area that you apply fertilizer to by 70% with band application At a rate of 75 lbs per acre: 100 acres X 75 = 7500 lbs N 7500 X 30% = 2250 lbs N Why Do you have a herbicide strip?

6. Broadcast Band Application

7. Liquid 28-0-0-5 applied over herbicide strip

8. Effect of N Application Method on ‘Stuart’ Pecan----Year 1 TreatmentLeaf NCrop Load Yield (lbs/tree) (lbs/acre) % Kernel Total N Cost (35 acres) Injection2.98a60.6a129.6a (2203a) 48.3a$621.95 Broadcast Band 2.89ab50.2b107.8a (1832a) 48.1a$686.00 Broadcast2.85b51.2ab107.5a (1827a) 48.2a$2849.00 Liquid N Herbicide Sprayer 2.80b54ab152.9a (2599a) 48.8a$621.95 Return per acre based on $2.71 per point (Yield/acre x 2.71) X % kernel = $/acre 28-0-0-5 Liquid Fertilizer) used for Injection and Herbicide Sprayer Applications; Cost = $500/ton Ammonium Nitrate used for broadcast band and broadcast applications; Cost = $495/ton N rate for all treatments = 70 lbs/acre

9. Food Safety Concerns Regarding the Use of Poultry Litter in Orchards Raw vs Composted Litter Time of Application Crowded Orchards Thin-shelled cultivars Wet Harvest Conditions Delayed Harvest

10. Foliar Urea Feed Grade Urea = 4 lbs/100 gallons Liquid Urea (23%) = 1 gallon/100 gallons DO NOT USE BIURET UREA Urea moves out of the leaf quickly to storage tissues Unless leaf N is deficient, you probably won’t see an increase in leaf N

11. Chem Mowing Costs TreatmentGlyphosate Rate # Chem Mow Applications # Mechanical Mowings Cost/A Chem Mow 4 oz4 oz/A31$27.50 Chem Mow 8 oz8 oz/A31$31.02 Mechanical Mowing 008$111.33 Labor = $7.50/hr Diesel $4.00/gal Spray application cost = $3.34 Glyphosate cost = $38.00/gal Mowing cost per acre = $13.92/acre Monte Nesbitt, Auburn University

12. Pre-Emergence Herbicide Strip Options TreatmentRateCommentsCost/Acre Surflan2 qts* Non-bearing & bearing Annual grasses & small seeded broadleafs Do not apply until soil has settled $20 Prowl2 qts Non-bearing & bearing Annual Grasses & broadleafs Need rainfall within 7 days $13 Diuron1.6 qts Only on trees >3 years Annual broadleafs and some annual grasses Do not use on sandy soils $7.20 Chateau6 oz. Trees established for >1 year No more than 6 oz/application No more than 12 oz/year DO not apply 2 nd application w/in 30 d of initial application $37.00

13. Fruit Thinning Trial—2007 & 2008 Irwin County Approx. 20 yr old Cape Fear & Sumner 5 trees thinned; 5 trees non-thinned/ cultivar

14. Cape Fear-2007

15. Sumner 2007

16. Cape Fear 2008

17. Sumner 2008

18. Total 2 year Value CAPE FEAR SUMNER