Pecan Growers Still Assessing Damage From Hurricane Matthew

“I haven’t been by a single (pecan) orchard that doesn’t have some big trees down,” Bill Tyson, Bulloch County Extension agent told SavannahNow.com as growers in Georgia continue to assess damage and clean up following Hurricane Matthew.

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Tyson says the damage varied but some orchards sustained more than 50% damage.

Growers in Screven County, GA, lost about 2,000 pecan trees – at $1 million – according to Extension agent Ray Hicks.

Gerald Long, Georgia Farm Bureau President, says a wet spring, dry summer, and a hurricane has made it difficult for growers. Plus, it added the difficulty of hiring farm workers to harvest downed pecans from the ground.

“It’s very expensive and there’s a labor shortage,” he says.

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