Weather taking its toll on Southeast pecan crop

ALBANY - Growers across the Southeast are facing a problem they can&#39;t control. <br> <br> Their pecan harvest is poor after two months of unusually heavy rain. <br> <br> After months of drought, growers welcomed the rain in September, but now it&#39;s driving them nuts. <br> <br> Farmer Frank Richter found his pecan kernels were spongy, shriveled or blackened by plant disease. <br> <br> Richter says the pecans are sitting out in the fields rotting. <br> <br> He says the heavy equipment used to shake the trees and scoop up the nuts can NOT make it through the mud. <br> <br> If the pecans aren&#39;t picked at the right time, they start to shrivel. <br> <br> September and October are usually among Georgia&#39;s driest months and that typically provides ideal conditions for harvesting the state&#39;s 100 million (M) dollar pecan crop. <br> <br> This fall is different. <br> <br> The combination of excessive moisture and warm weather is beginning to show up in the Agriculture Department&#39;s crop reports. <br> <br>

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