20190508-OSEC-LSC-0157
Aerial view of Mason Pecan owner Thomas Mason talking with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Neal Leonard in one of his pecan orchards, in Fort Valley GA, on May 8, 2019. They discuss the farming challenges that resulted from Hurricane Irma. Two years ago, 800 of 2,400 10-year old trees were downed by the storm. Mr. Mason reached out to USDA Farm Service Agency’s Tas Smith to help restore operations. The orchard had to be cleared of debris before harvesting the surviving trees. The challenge is raising saplings alongside newly mature 12-year-old trees that require different levels of nutrients and care. This orchard’s yield will be cut by 1/3 until the saplings reach 12 years of age. Along the rows of trees and cover crop, burn sites, where tree cuttings were disposed of, are still seen in the orchard. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
20190508-OSEC-LSC-0157
Aerial view of Mason Pecan owner Thomas Mason talking with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Neal Leonard in one of his pecan orchards, in Fort Valley GA, on May 8, 2019. They discuss the farming challenges that resulted from Hurricane Irma. Two years ago, 800 of 2,400 10-year old trees were downed by the storm. Mr. Mason reached out to USDA Farm Service Agency’s Tas Smith to help restore operations. The orchard had to be cleared of debris before harvesting the surviving trees. The challenge is raising saplings alongside newly mature 12-year-old trees that require different levels of nutrients and care. This orchard’s yield will be cut by 1/3 until the saplings reach 12 years of age. Along the rows of trees and cover crop, burn sites, where tree cuttings were disposed of, are still seen in the orchard. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.