Pecan
Carya illinoinensis
Long-lived deciduous nut tree native to North American river bottoms, prized for its rich, buttery kernels. Suited to roughly Zones 5-9, with commercial orchards concentrated in Zones 6-9 and hardy northern seedling types extending into colder zones. Needs a long, hot growing season to mature its nuts. Trees are slow to bear, with small crops beginning around year six and full commercial production near year ten, but they remain productive for many decades. Demand spans in-shell, shelled, and value-added markets.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Pecans require deep, well-drained soils; profiles deeper than about six feet give the highest yields and reduce alternate bearing, while slow internal drainage is a serious orchard problem. Optimal soil pH is 6.0-7.0. The tree is a poor accumulator of zinc and deficiency is common on high-pH soils, so foliar zinc is routinely applied, and mature orchards typically receive 150-200 lb of actual nitrogen per acre annually. Orchard spacing commonly starts dense and is thinned toward roughly 40 by 40 ft (about 27 trees per acre) as canopies close, to preserve light and air movement. Cultivars vary widely in maturity, scab resistance, and precocity; interplanting protandrous (Type I) and protogynous (Type II) cultivars improves nut set. Well-managed mature orchards can yield 1,000 lb per acre or more, though strong alternate-bearing tendencies make year-to-year yields uneven. Nuts are harvested after shuck split, often with mechanical trunk shakers.
Growing Season
- Plant
- Late winter to early spring (dormant bare-root transplant) – Before bud break
- Harvest
- October – December (after shuck split and first frosts)
Yield
- Typical yield
- 1,000 lbs in-shell nuts/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 75 years
- Years to full prod.
- 10
- Labor
- 25 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "increasing".
Supply Below Demand
No buyer network on record — cannot establish that regional demand absorbs additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
0 recorded buyers and 4 documented market channels. Multiple routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
4 documented market channels, including value-added and direct-to-consumer routes.
Market Growth Projected
Specialty nut segment; consumer demand for regional specialty produce has been expanding.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 5-9; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop GDD minimum not recorded. Region accumulates 2500+ GDD (base 50F), sufficient for most temperate crops.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop water requirement not recorded. Region is humid continental with reliable growing-season rainfall; irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop frost-free requirement not recorded. Region provides ~180 days.
Chill Hours Met
Perennial. Region's zone 5-6 winters deliver well over 1,000 chill hours, ample for temperate perennials.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 5 hardiness zones (5-9). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
13 documented equipment requirements. Unusually equipment-intensive (13 distinct requirements), implying significant capital outlay.
Storage Available
3 documented storage/handling requirements, all achievable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Water requirement not recorded; standard drip or overhead irrigation assumed adequate.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
25 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Powered auger for setting bare-root or container pecan trees at wide orchard spacing during establishment.
general
Primary power unit for shakers, air-blast sprayers, and mowers; larger than small-fruit needs because of orchard scale and tall canopies.
irrigation
Per-acre cost. Young pecan trees need consistent moisture; drip or microsprinkler irrigation is standard for establishment and fill.
spraying
Needed to achieve fungicide coverage of tall canopies against pecan scab, with multiple passes required through the season.
cultivation
Maintains a clean, level orchard floor for nut sweeping and improves airflow.
Trains young trees and manages canopy for light penetration and scab control.
harvesting
Mechanical shaker vibrates the trunk to drop mature nuts; central to commercial pecan harvest.
Blows and windrows fallen nuts into rows for pickup.
Picks up windrowed nuts from the orchard floor; 80-99% recovery over two passes.
Blows nuts out from under trees and away from wheel paths ahead of sweeping.
post_harvest
Mechanically harvested pecans carry 35-55% trash, so cleaning before sale is essential.
Dries in-shell pecans to roughly 4% kernel moisture for safe storage.
Pecans keep for months under cool, dry conditions; refrigeration or freezing extends shelf life substantially.
Storage Requirements
In-shell, cold storage
Temperature
32–36°F
Humidity
60–70%
Max Storage
540 days
Shelled kernels, cold storage
Temperature
32–36°F
Humidity
60–70%
Max Storage
240 days
Frozen (0 F)
Temperature
-10–0°F
Humidity
60–70%
Max Storage
1825 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $1,361/ac vs catalog median $5,500/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost not recorded; not penalising. Catalog 75th percentile is $5,387/ac.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 10 years. Long establishment — capital tied up 10 years before full return.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — net return not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
Nut crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $2/per lb in-shell (US avg) |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $1,361 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $29,390/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | — |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: USDA NASS Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts 2025 Summary (May 2026): US avg price $2.10/lb in-shell 2025 (vs $1.68 2023, $1.77 2024 — increasing); avg yield 648 lb/ac; utilized production 284M lb, value $596M. Gross revenue derived: 648 lb/ac x $2.10 = ~$1,361/ac (US avg, wholesale). Establishment cost from MU Extension G738 (Apr 2025): cumulative deficit of $29,390/ac over years 1-14 to establish and maintain a 10-ac direct-to-consumer improved-cultivar orchard (incl. equipment; first profitable year ~15). Pecan is a southern/central US tree nut not commercially grown in this region; US national data used as best-available reference. (2025)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
10 documented risk factors. Within the range manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
0 buyers, 4 channels. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
10 years to full production at $29,390/ac establishment cost. Multi-year capital commitment before first full return.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 5-9 (5 zones). Moderate tolerance; sensitive to years at the edge of its range.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a nut revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
The most destructive pecan disease in humid regions. The fungus causes black lesions on leaves, shucks, and developing nuts, reducing nut size and quality and causing premature drop.
Fungal leaf disease producing white spots on the underside of leaves, leading to yellowing and premature defoliation that weakens trees and reduces yield.
White fungal growth on nuts and foliage during humid periods; can affect nut fill in severe cases but is usually minor.
pest
Larvae bore into nutlets shortly after pollination, destroying multiple nuts per larva and causing significant early crop loss.
A major late-season pest; adults puncture nuts and larvae feed inside the kernel, rendering nuts unmarketable.
Sap-feeding aphids reduce photosynthesis; black pecan aphid causes leaf necrosis and honeydew that fosters sooty mold and premature leaf drop.
Larvae tunnel in the shuck, causing premature nut drop, poor fill, and shuck staining.
weather
Late spring frosts injure emerging shoots and catkins, reducing pollination and nut set.
Pecans tend to alternate heavy and light crop years, and drought during kernel fill reduces yield and quality, worsening the off-year swing.
market
Pecan prices swing sharply with overall crop size and global demand, particularly export markets, creating income uncertainty for growers.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Pecan against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Carbon sequestration
- Long-lived canopy carbon storagehigh
Large, long-lived deciduous pecan trees accumulate substantial above- and below-ground carbon over an orchard life that can span many decades.
Applies when: mature orchard maintained over decadesEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Biodiversity
- Wildlife mast and canopy habitatmoderate
Nuts provide hard mast for squirrels, deer, turkey, and birds, and the tall canopy adds vertical structural habitat within agricultural landscapes.
Applies when: nuts and canopy presentEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Soil health
- Perennial cover and leaf-litter organic mattermoderate
Permanent tree cover with annual leaf fall builds soil organic matter and avoids the repeated tillage of annual cropping systems.
Applies when: orchard floor managed with groundcoverEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Climate adaptation
- Deep-rooted drought and heat resiliencemoderate
Established deep root systems and heat tolerance help pecan orchards buffer drought and high temperatures better than shallow-rooted annual crops.
Applies when: established trees with developed root systemsEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Pollinator support
- Minimal — wind-pollinatednegligible
Pecan is wind-pollinated and offers little floral nectar or pollen, so direct pollinator value is minimal; understory and cover crops supply most pollinator forage in the orchard.
Applies when: floral groundcover retainedEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from NC State Extension (Growing Pecans in North Carolina) and USDA NASS Pecan Production.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
61 tracked changes across 9 data categories