By KRWG News
Southern New Mexico – LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRWG) A smaller pecan crop in New Mexico is expected this year.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/rbOzzh) that the federal government's first forecast of the season, released last week, predicts the harvest will be down about 10 million pounds across the state. That's roughly a 15 percent decrease from last year.
Experts say several factors are to blame, from wacky spring weather to the pecan growing cycle in the southeastern part of the state to changing farming practices.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's report, some 56 million in-shell pounds of pecans are expected in New Mexico.
Federal numbers show that the most-recent heavy year, 2009, yielded about 68 million pounds of pecans in the state.
The harvest typically gets under way around the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG