Why Growers Needed Pecan Marketing Order

Federal marketing orders allow for targeted promotion of some crops. The pecan marketing order will do just that by allowing the industry to share the nut’s story locally.

Janice Dees, Executive Director of the Georgia Pecan Growers, was in California this month for the California Pecan Growers Association Conference. A major topic for the industry is the new federal marketing order. Dees said up to this point, the marketing focus for pecans has been in other countries. “The reason the U.S. Pecan Growers Council is currently doing promotions internationally is because the funding we have through USDA, through the market excess program, only allows for international promotions.”

Dees said that’s why the new marketing order is so important for the pecan industry, so it can start marketing here in the United States. “The pecan marketing order will allow funding to be gathered from the first handler that will give growers here domestic funding to actually do promotions and advertising that we have not been able to do in the past,” Dees said.

Dees added that the time is right for the order. “Pecans have not been able to tell the story about their nutrition,” Dees said. “We are one of the healthiest nuts out there. We have more antioxidants than any other nut. We have great oil content which is good for your skin, body and cooking things with and we have not told that story. The American public really doesn’t realize what a great thing a pecan is so we need to let people know.”