THOMASVILLE — A Thomasville pecan grower has stated this year’s crop “devastating” for local farmers.

In a report from WCTV, Thomas County pecan farmer Joey Collins, owner of Collins Pecans, says it’s the worst crop he’s seen.

“It’s just been devastating to a lot of farmers. You work all year, and then you find out all of these big beautiful nuts, that were beautiful 3 or 4 weeks ago today are just an embryo,” Collins told WCTV.

Collins’ operation is one of the largest in the country, so he should know a bit about the quality of this year’s harvest.  Normally, Collins throws out between 3-5% of his harvest due to quality, according to the report.  However, he states that this year, that number is pushing 30%.  With Georgia expected to provide 100 million of the nation’s 300 million pounds of product, that could mean trouble related to supply.

Collins noted in the report that weather was the primary culprit, with September’s weather creating problems resulting in poor growth and disease.

Of course, this will drive up prices for pecans making it to market, though it may take a while for shoppers to see the impact.