How Cool is Hedging!?!

How cool is this machine! This is a Hedger trimming the limbs and tops of some of the older, larger trees in the Willson Farming Co. orchard. The trees you see here were planted in 1984 and have grown virtually untamed since then. While they make for a beautiful canopy they also hog the natural sunlight that other trees need to grow and bear fruit.

“Hedging” has been used by pecan farmers in the western United States for some time and is gaining popularity in the east as well. We at Willson Farming and Sunnyland Farms are embracing this technique for the first time this year for a variety of reasons. Hedging is used to manage the size of the pecan trees which helps manage disease and pests while also increasing light to the orchard. All of these things lead to better growing conditions that improve both the quality of the pecans and the yield of the orchard. Plus, there is the added bonus of using a really cool machine with two saw blades swinging at the end of a rotating arm!