Origins and Global Production

The pecan is the only major tree nut native to North America. Its natural range spans the south-central United States down into Mexico, with its heartland in the river basins of the Mississippi valley and the American South and Southwest. Today, the US and Mexico are the world’s two largest producers, each generating about 300 million pounds a year. Within the US, Georgia, New Mexico, and Texas are the top three producing states.

Growing Conditions

Pecans demand deep, well-drained soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. They need a long growing season of 205 to 233 frost-free days, depending on variety, to reach full maturity, conditions that make the American South and Southwest particularly well-suited to large-scale production. Successful cultivation is also a long game: grafted trees typically begin bearing at six to eight years, with full production often not reached until around year 10. A pecan tree can live 150 to 250 years.

What happens after harvest is just as important as what happens in the orchard. From the moment the nuts reach the ground, speed and precision in handling are critical to preserving quality.

Harvest and Moisture Management

• Harvest: Pecans are harvested mechanically. Trunk shakers dislodge the nuts, and self-propelled harvesters collect them from the ground.
• Drying: Freshly harvested pecans can carry moisture levels as high as 25 to 30 percent, far too high for safe storage. They must be dried down to a moisture content of approximately 4 percent.
• Missing the target: Failure to hit this moisture target creates conditions favorable for mold, discoloration, and oil breakdown, which can quickly degrade an entire lot.

Storage Conditions

Storage conditions are equally important. Pecans are best held at temperatures between 32 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit, with relative humidity around 65 to 70 percent for shelled nuts. Under these conditions, in-shell pecans can maintain quality for up to 18 months, while shelled pecans stored in a freezer can remain market-ready for two years or more. For processors and distributors, investing in proper cold storage is not a cost center. It is a quality assurance strategy that protects margin and reputation.

The global pecan market reached USD 2.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to continue growing steadily. For industry stakeholders, understanding the forces that drive demand and pricing is as important as managing the crop itself.

Export Markets and Volatility

China has been one of the largest export destinations for US pecans; in 2009 alone, Chinese buyers took more than a quarter of the US crop. That relationship has also introduced significant volatility. Trade disputes beginning in 2018 raised duties and disrupted shipments, and the latest round has been sharper: US exports to China fell from about 18,800 metric tons in 2024 to about 2,500 in 2025, and a provisional anti-dumping deposit that took effect in August 2026 pushed the total duty on US pecans to 86.3 percent. The episode underscores both the opportunity and the risk of dependence on a single export market, and it could push more US pecans into domestic and alternative export markets.

Where Demand Is Headed

At the same time, global consumer interest in pecans as a premium health snack is opening new avenues in Europe, Southeast Asia, and beyond, with India and China cited among the fastest-growing markets. On the competitive side, Mexico has grown into a formidable producing nation, now generating about as many pounds each year as the US. This competition puts additional pressure on American producers to differentiate on quality and traceability rather than volume alone.

There are over 1,000 named pecan varieties, yet a USDA germplasm committee report found that nearly 90 percent of improved orchard acreage was planted to just 33 of them. Choosing the right cultivar is one of the most consequential decisions a grower can make, as variety determines not only yield and nut size but also disease susceptibility, harvest timing, and ultimately, market value.

Breeding programs have become increasingly focused on developing varieties that combine strong nut quality with robust resistance to scab, the fungal disease that remains a major threat to yield in humid growing regions. The USDA Pecan Breeding Program, which has been active for decades with breeding locations in Brownwood and College Station, Texas, continues to be a key source of new releases.

The University of Georgia’s program, for example, targets large nut size, early nut maturity, light-colored kernels, and resistance or tolerance to major pests, especially scab.

For growers planning new plantings or orchard expansions, staying current with university extension recommendations and USDA variety trial results is an important part of long-term planning.