By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
SCOTT, Ark. — With only about 7,000 acres of pecans grown across Arkansas, it may not be the state’s most abundant crop — but for those in the know, it’s certainly one of the most beloved.
CHOCK FULLA — The Cooperative Extension Service, along with the Arkansas Pecan Growers Association, will co-host the Arkansas Pecan Growers Summer Farm Tour on May 18. The tour will meet at Bruhl Farm, located at 374 Stewart Rd. in Scott, Arkansas. The tour will feature four pecan orchards. (Division of Agriculture photo.)
The Cooperative Extension Service, along with the Arkansas Pecan Growers Association, will co-host the Arkansas Pecan Growers Summer Farm Tour on May 18. The tour will meet at Bruhl Farm, located at 374 Stewart Rd. in Scott, Arkansas. The tour will feature four pecan orchards.
The Cooperative Extension Service is the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Jackie Lee, resident director of the Division of Agriculture’s Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, said the tour will offer growers an avenue for informal education and activity.
“This field tour will give pecan growers the opportunity to network and learn from other growers’ experiences,” Lee said. “We will talk about problems and successes at each orchard. We also have some great prizes to give away!”
The tour will begin at 8:30 a.m., concluding at 1:15 p.m. The day’s schedule includes:
8:30-9:00 a.m. - Registration
9:00-9:15 a.m. - Welcome, Jackie Lee, Arkansas Pegan Growers Association president
9:15-9:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, John Bruhl and Billy Jeter
9:45-10:15 a.m. - Grafting Demo, Sherri Sanders, Division of Agriculture
10:15-10:30 a.m. - Travel to Sissy Roy’s farm, 9605 Hwy 161 South, Scott
10:30-10:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, Sissy Roy
10:45-11:00 a.m. - Pecan Leaf Tissue Sampling, Dr. Amanda McWhirt, Division of Agriculture
11:00-11:15 a.m. - Travel to Greg Rusher’s farm, 10979 Hwy 161 South, Scott
11:15-11:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, Greg Rusher
11:45 a.m. -12:15 p.m. – Tri-County Program- IPM and Irrigation Sherri and Kyle Sanders, Division of Agriculture
12:15-1:15 p.m. - Lunch at Rusher Farm
The tour costs $20 to attend for members, $35 for non-members. Payment should be mailed on or before May 13 to Jackie Lee, 1749 State Hwy 818, Clarksville, AR 72830, and include attendees’ name, address, email address and phone number. Please indicate if you would like to be included on the association’s ListServ as well, and enclose the appropriate payment:
$20 for member to attend farm tour (Membership expires each June)
$35 for non-member to attend farm tour
$50 for new membership or renewal only
$70 for farm tour and membership renewal/new membership
Payment may also be made in person at the tour on May 18.
Interested individuals can register for the tour through the mail or by emailing Lee at jalee@uada.edu on or before May 13. Lee can also provide information about joining the association.
Specific questions about the tour can be emailed to jalee@uada.edu or john.a.bruhl@gmail.com.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.