VALDOSTA, Ga.— Georgia leads the nation in pecan production. And at 90 cents a pound they are a good cash crop.

So where money can be made, crime tends to follow. But pecan pilfering? Yep, nothing is sacred in this nutty world anymore.

It’s not uncommon, said Ashley Paulk, for people to park their car beside a pecan grove, run into the field and grab a couple bucketfuls of pecans. At harvest time, some pecan pilferers raid pecan groves at night during a full moon, he said.

Paulk is chairman of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners and owns Shiloh Farms, one of the largest pecan growers in the state.

Folks who pick up pecans to sell them in town typically find their way to either Guess Pecans or South Georgia Pecan Company, where they can be exchanged for cash.

The line of those who come to sell frequently stretches out the door at both businesses. People carry their pecans in a variety of ways: aluminum wash tubs, plastic buckets, garbage bags, grocery bags, etc.

Justin Myers, plant manager at South Georgia Pecan Company, said they have no method of tracking where the sellers get their pecans. Regarding in-shell purchasing, it’s not an issue they have any need to address, he said. They have, nevertheless, taken some steps to increase traceability.

“We decided to set a limit. Any individual who brought in 100 pounds, we ask for their name and driver’s license number, and we document how much they brought in and what type of pecans it was, but we can’t validate where they acquired those nuts from. We just try to show what’s coming through our door in quantity.”