When Are Georgia Pecans Harvested? A Georgia Pecan Grower's Guide

When are Georgia Pecans Harvested?

Georgia pecans are harvested between September and December. How early a pecan is harvested depends on the variety of the pecan. In Georgia up to 150 million pounds of pecans are harvested each year. At harvest time a mature pecan tree can produce between 200 and 250 pounds of pecans. 

When purchasing pecans from Sunnyland Farms you are purchasing directly from pecan growers. The Willson family behind Sunnyland Farms has owned and harvested pecans for the past 100 years. Their company’s slogan is “Only the Best” which refers to the high standard set and expected from their products. 

How are Pecan Trees Grown?

In the winter months, the pecan orchard is prepared for the next season. New pecan trees are planted. Pecan trees that start from seedlings can take ten to 15 years to produce pecans. Young pecan trees are often transplanted to give the tree more room to expand. 

During the winter the pecan orchard is hedged or pruned. Hedging involves a machine that elevates a spinning saw to quickly chop down unproductive pecan tree limbs or limbs blocking sunlight from younger trees. 

Young pecan trees are pruned to stimulate upward growth. Pruning pecan trees makes the trees more uniform and easier to harvest with pecan shakers. Hedging and pruning pecan trees is necessary maintenance for the health of a pecan tree. 

The maintenance of the pecan groves continues into the spring. As the weather heats up, the pecan trees turn the brightest shade of green and reveal pecan buds. These buds are the first visible indicator of the coming harvest in October. 

In the summer months, the pecan crop starts to form. On pecan trees, green pecan buds form into green pecan husks. A productive harvest is the reaping of a well-managed pecan orchard. To keep our pecan orchard healthy and productive, Sunnyland Farms use integrated pest management which includes irrigation, scouting the pecan groves, and spraying for diseases and pests when necessary.

How are Georgia Pecans Harvested?

In October harvest begins in the pecan orchard. The first step of the pecan harvest is “shaking” the pecan trees. A shaker is a machine that has padded arms to grab the trunk or limbs of the pecan tree. The shaker vibrates the tree or “shakes” it causing the pecans to fall from the tree. 

After pecans are on the ground, the next step of the pecan harvest is sweeping pecans into rows. A tractor-mounted implement called a sweeper drives through the orchard and sweeps the fallen pecans into rows. Next a tractor-pulled implement called a harvester gathers the fallen pecans and delivers them to the cleaning plant. 

At the cleaning plant, debris is removed with a series of blowers and sizers. Once all leaves and sticks are removed, the clean pecans are run through into a sizer which sorts them into uniform sizes.

How are Pecans Cracked and Shelled?

Cleaned and sized pecans are transported to the shelling plant. Water is used to condition the in-shell pecans overnight. Conditioning pecans increases the nuts’ moisture level before the pecan is cracked and shelled. A well-moisturized pecan is easier to crack into a proportional half. 

From there, the conditioned pecans go into the crackers and then into a sheller which helps separate the pecan halves and pieces from the shells. A series of shakers and blowers finish this operation. 

How are Sunnyland Farms Pecans Graded?

Pecan halves pass through multiple color-sorting machines. The machine’s electronic eye spots and removes remaining shells or dark-colored pecans. The pecan halves are dried to the ideal moisture level before moving to our front shelling plant. 

The front of the shelling plant is the last check to ensure pecans meet the Sunnyland Farms standard which exceeds the USDA standard for Extra Fancy pecan halves. Team members sit at a vibrating conveyor belt where pecan halves are hand-graded. Our team is trained to quickly spot and remove pecans with blemishes or nuts that are too small. 

How Does Sunnyland Farms Store Raw Pecans?

Raw pecans are then packed into boxes and placed in cold storage to preserve freshness and flavor. Sunnyland Farms’ raw pecans remain in cold storage until it is time to ship pecans to customers.