1 / 17

The Cost of Producing Pecans---Can We Grow Them for Less?

The Cost of Producing Pecans---Can We Grow Them for Less?. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Department of Horticulture, Tifton, GA. Variable Costs Per Acre: Full Production, 2008. Unit Quant. Price/Unit Total/A Lime 1 ton/A $30 $30 N 150 lbs $1.00 $150

wilmer
Download Presentation

The Cost of Producing Pecans---Can We Grow Them for Less?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

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

  2. Variable Costs Per Acre: Full Production, 2008 Unit Quant. Price/Unit Total/A Lime 1 ton/A $30 $30 N 150 lbs $1.00 $150 P 40 lbs $0.73 $29.20 K 60 lbs $0.83 $49.98 Zn Sulfate 50 lbs $0.8 $40 Foliar Zn 3 Appl. $2.00 $6.00 Foliar B 3 Appl. $1.30 $3.90 Fungicides 8 Appl.* $9.89 $79.12 Herbicides 4 Appl $29.25 $117 Insecticides 10 $14.41 $144.16 Fuel Gal 33 Gal $4.33 $142.89 Irrigation Operation $50 Irrigation Repairs $20 Equipment Repairs & Maint. $30.91 Labor 25 8 $200 Interest 1093.16 8% $87.45 Harvest $354.2 2008 Total Variable Costs $1534.81

  3. Pecan Returns *average price from 2005-2007

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

  5. Why Do you have a herbicide strip? • 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

  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 N rate for all treatments = 70 lbs/acre Return per acre based on $2.71 per point (Yield/acre x 2.71) X % kernel = $/acre $/acre-total n cost = return 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

  9. Effect of Poultry Litter and Clover on ‘Desirable’ Pecan---Year 1 Return per acre based on $3.02 per point (Yield/acre x 3.02) X % kernel = $/acre $/acre-total n cost = return Litter Analysis = 75 lbs N; 30 lbs K; 16 lbs P; 0.44 lbs Zn

  10. Effect of Clover/Litter on Orchard Soil---Year 1

  11. 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

  12. Increasing N-use Efficiency • Reduce area of N application • Use poultry litter if available • Plant clover • Apply foliar Urea

  13. Chem Mowing Costs Monte Nesbitt, Auburn University 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

  14. Pre-Emergence Herbicide Strip Options

More Related