Technical Abstract: Advances in pecan production technologies and strategies over the last century have been impressive. This progress has been driven as a consequence of societal evolution and its associated forces. This article briefly reviews the evolution of the U.S. pecan industry within the context of basic husbandry paradigms and proposes that the U.S. pecan industry is showing evidence of transitioning to a new paradigm that better fits the needs of an evolving world society. This new paradigm integrates production, sustainability and human nutrition. There is increasing evidence of simultaneous co-evolution toward this new paradigm by several key agricultural crops. It is proposed that those food-crop industries that most successfully embrace this new paradigm will possess a competitive advantage in the marketplace; thus, affecting the “bottom line” of all those involved in the growing, processing, and selling of pecan nutmeats. It is suggested that the time has come for producers, shellers, and processors of pecan nuts to pool limited resources to sponsor clinical research evaluating the health benefits of pecan within the context of the major causes of death in Western society. Additionally, there is need to better ascertain the qualitative and quantitative composition of pecan nutmeats, and whether there is merit in tapping the natural variability in Carya to improve upon traits beneficial to human nutrition, and whether these characteristics can be substantially influenced by orchard management practices.