USDA Publishes Long Awaited Proposal to Revise Both Inshell and Shelled Pecan Standards

On October 11, the USDA published the long awaited proposal to revise both the inshell and shelled pecan standards,  It is the first major revision to the standards since their initial publishing in July 1969.  There are several major changes.  They are as follows:

1. The old kernel standard had two grades, US #1 and Commercial Grade. Both have been eliminated.

2. The new kernel standard will have five quality grades: US Premier, US Extra Fancy, Fancy, Choice and Standard.

3. The sizes of both pieces and halves have been standardized.  There will no longer be an Extra-Large half size.

4. The definitions for color, foreign material, damage, etc., have also been standardized with specific tolerances for each of the five grades.

5. The inshell standard codifies industry practices and provides guidance relative to color, foreign material, insect damage, etc.

The proposal took five years to get to this point and involved the input from both growers and shellers from across the country as well as Mexico, South Africa and Australia.  Two industry zoom conferences with the USDA were also held to clarify differences and get agreement on the final wording. Both sets of standards were unanimously approved by the American Pecan Council.  Once adopted, the biggest challenge for the industry will be the education of both buyers and sellers. However, the standards will reward both growers and shellers who take the time, and make the effort, to produce the highest quality product possible.  The USDA has requested comments from the industry, as well as buyers, on the standards by December 11^th.  I highly recommend that you take the time to read the standards (a copy of which can be downloaded from the Presentations and Articles tab on this site) and send your recommendation for the adoption of the standards, as written, to the USDA. Should you have any questions, please give me a call (1-630-879-5200).  This is something that the industry has needed for a long time.  We need to get the standard published.