The American pecan industry is scheduled to meet with the USDA’s AMS today at 1pm to discuss the suggested revisions to the current U.S. grades of both in-shell and shelled pecans.
Published in the federal register around June of 2022 the suggested revisions will add new classifications for both in-shell pecans and shelled pecans. The new classifications would break up the current 2 standards for in-shell pecans into 4 grade classifications of :
U.S. Extra Fancy
U.S. Fancy
U.S. Choice
U.S. Standard
and would do the same for shelled pecan classifications. Shelled pecans currently have two classifications of U.S. No. 1 and U.S. Commercial broken into halves and pieces. The suggested revisions also include details about language used in the grading of the pecans such as color, defects, and foreign material.
The preface in the document offers some insight into the pecan industry showing us that there are a reported 17,144 pecan farms of which somewhere around 3,221 are 30 acres or larger which puts them into the category of the commercial pecan industry.
Of these 3,221 commercial pecan farms in the US we learn that 86% (2,871) are considered small farms and 14% (440) are considered large farms (annual receipts greater than $1,000,000).
We also learn that there are an estimated 105 handlers handling the pecans in the US but are offered no information about the average size or concentration of handlers or shellers. We are offered a three year average price of $1.66 for the in-shell pecan price but nothing for the price of shelled pecans in the commercial or retail markets or the average size or type of shelled pecan sold, in what size packaging, ect…Offered no information about the raw or roasted or flavored state of pecans being sold. Offered no information about the average commercial consumers demands for size or use of the pecans. Offered no information about our industries buyer persona so that we might better cater to current and future demands of pecans for industrial ingredient uses or retail level current and future uses. Based on that knowledge we should all be able to make an informed decision about the suggested revisions. Welcome to the Orwellian pecan industry. Give us your assessments and we will tell you what you look like, never mind the rest of the supply chain and the buyers needs.
I’m thinking this year we should start a stick kickers union so that they can get together tell us the number of sticks they find in each windrow based on variety and location, hedging or non-hedged trees, ect… They can report a little bit of that information back to the grower. They will not tell the grower the the type and quantity of pecans gathered from the windrow, rather they will tell us about the sticks. We will fund studies for the stick kickers union to find better ways of removing sticks so that they can be more efficient.
To the best of my knowledge the most up-to-date suggested revisions are posted here at the link below. If you are available to attend the meeting today and have an opinion or suggestion be sure to register in order to attend the zoom meeting today at 1pm EST.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/AMS-SC-21-0039-0001
Register to attend todays meeting at the link below:
https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsde2rrD0tHRBnf2XrTTIaNpF3H4Boe4c
