Brian Kemp is nuts about pecans. So is the rest of Georgia for that matter. Just call Georgia the “Pecan State.”
Georgia’s Governor designated the pecan as Georgia’s official state nut on Friday at an event at Ellis Brothers Pecans in Vienna.
According to the USDA Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, Georgia reclaimed the status as the largest pecan producer in the country after last season’s output, after being bested by New Mexico the previous two years.
Last year’s harvest rose 95% to 142 million pounds. Statewide bearing acreage remained steady at 129,000 acres, with yields per acre estimated at 1,100 pounds per acre.
According to the UGA Extension, pecans were ranked as the top state for pecan production by the 1950s. It’s a status that’s still true today.
For more up-to-date information about pecan production in Georgia, see https://site.extension.uga.edu/pecan/.