Texas Pecan Short Course returns Feb. 24-27 in Somerville

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the 62nd annual Texas Pecan Short Course Feb. 24-27, combining classroom instruction with hands-on demonstrations at Texas A&M University’s working pecan orchard. The four-day course runs from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily at the Texas A&M University Horticulture Teaching Research and Extension Center, 3199 County Road 269. Registration costs $320 per person and $80 for Texas A&M AgriLife employees, and lunch is included. Online registration is available through Feb. 20. The short course is designed for individuals entering commercial pecan production, including those starting new orchards, recently purchasing orchards or managing existing orchards. Participants cover all aspects of pecan production, with an emphasis on practices recommended for Texas. Topics include:

• Disease control
• Irrigation
• Tree anatomy
• Pruning
• Pest management
• Harvest methods
• Grafting techniques

“The course starts at the beginning and walks participants through all basic aspects of managing a pecan orchard and marketing pecans for sale,” said Monte Nesbitt, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and associate professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station. “It is designed for people considering starting a pecan orchard, who have recently purchased a pecan orchard or who have been hired to manage a pecan orchard.” Each participant also builds a “pecan variety board” containing 48 unique pecan varieties, a signature activity of the course.

Texas Pecan Short Course speakers

Speakers for the course include:

• Monte Nesbitt, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and associate professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station
• Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Uvalde
• Kimberly Cervantes, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture specialist and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, El Paso
• Jenna Anding, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension nutrition specialist and professor, Department of Nutrition
• Kyle Slusher, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist and assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Stephenville
• Stephen Janak, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Hallettsville
• Amit Dhingra, Ph.D., head, Department of Horticultural Sciences
• Angelyn Hilton, Ph.D., research plant pathologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Bryan-College Station
• Warren Chatwin, Ph.D., research geneticist, USDA-ARS, Bryan-College Station
• Blair Krebs, executive director, Texas Pecan Growers Association, Bryan-College Station

“Participants gain both the classroom knowledge and the hands-on experience needed to make informed decisions for orchard management and production,” said Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Uvalde. Get more details and register for the Texas Pecan Short Course now. Top photo: The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the 62nd annual Texas Pecan Short Course on Feb. 24-27 in Somerville, combining classroom learning with in-field demonstrations at Texas A&M University’s working pecan orchard. Photo courtesy Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife.