Field day offers unique ‘last chance’ to Kansas, Oklahoma pecan growers

Pecan Experiment Field director, longtime researcher retiring next month

Pecan growers will have one last chance to learn from one of Kansas State University’s top experts in the field before he retires. 

The 2018 Kansas Walnut Council Field Day will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on June 16 at K-State’s Pecan Experiment Field, located 2.5 miles east of Chetopa on Highway 166 and 3/4 of a mile south on 120th Street.

This year’s field day will be offered in conjunction with the Oklahoma Pecan Growers Annual Meeting and features pecan harvesting equipment demonstrations and instructions from some of the nation’s leading experts on successful pecan orchard establishment and management. 

Bill Reid, the experiment field’s director, will retire in July. This may be the last opportunity for farmers and ranchers to benefit from his wealth of experience and knowledge in the culture and growth of pecan.

Lunch will be provided at no cost to participants. In addition to pecan management, the Kansas Walnut Council will also conduct its annual business meeting to discuss hosting the National Walnut Council Meeting in June 2019 at the Prairie Band Pottawatomie Casino and Resort. 

The Walnut Council is a science-based organization that encourages research, discussion and application of knowledge about growing hardwood trees. The international association represents nearly 900 woodland owners, foresters, forest scientists and wood-producing industry representatives. The council promotes sustainable forest management, conservation, reforestation, and utilization of American black walnut (Juglans nigra) and other fine hardwoods.

To register for this event, please call the Kansas Forest Service at 785-532-3300 or email Bob Atchison, rural forestry coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service, at [email protected].  

To learn more, see Growing Pecans in Kansas.