Pecan is develouine as a crou of economic importance in California. A major portion of the state's approximately 2,550 acres of pecans is planted in the southern San Joaquin Valley (Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties), where the summer is hot and dry and the fall normally rainless, facilitating late harvest of the crop. Smaller acreages occur in adjoining counties, and additional acreage is being planted in northern California. Several pecan shelling and processing facilities now exist in California, and the industry includes an Association of Pecan Growers.