STILLWATER – If you are interested in learning more about native pecans, mark your calendar for April 25 and attend the Native Pecan Field Day.

Oklahoma State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology are partnering with OSU Cooperative Extension professionals in Okfuskee County, the Noble Research Institute and the Oklahoma Pecan Growers’ Association to provide this field day free of charge to anyone wanting to gain more knowledge about Oklahoma’s native pecan industry.

The field day will take place at Bailey’s 5 Star Pecan and Cattle Ranch, 108113 N 3710 Road near Okemah, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. From the intersection of Highway 48 and Highway 56, go 1¼ miles west and ½ mile north. Registration is not required to attend. Bring your lawn chairs.

The Bailey’s 5 Star Pecan and Cattle Ranch is a historic pecan orchard dating back to statehood. Many of the Stuart pecan trees at the ranch date back to the 1920s. Leon and Judy Bailey and family purchased the ranch 11 years ago and have continued to make improvements. The North Canadian River runs along the edge of the property with many acres of hayfields and pastures. The Bailey family run cattle throughout the property.

Becky Carroll, OSU Cooperative Extension associate specialist, fruit and pecans, said many of the recent field days have focused on establishing new orchards.

“We didn’t want to forget the importance of our native producers,” Carroll said. “Topics will be directed toward native grove management, but many items discussed during the afternoon will benefit both native and improved cultivar growers. Industry professionals and university specialists will be on hand to talk about pest management, tree thinning, pruning, grafting select natives, logging/sawmills and cattle/grazing.”

There also will be a time for questions and discussion at the end of the workshop.

The pecan industry is big in Oklahoma and continues to have a positive impact throughout the state, especially on the economy. Oklahoma’s pecan harvest averages about 18 million pounds each year with the majority of that due to native production.