Pecan Harvest in Full Swing
By: Ryan Robertson
Updated: November 10, 2012
Pecans by the bag-full have been brought into the Pecan Shed in Wichita Falls.
The area's largest pecan producer is staying busy this year, thanks to a hearty harvest.
"Last year, the drought was so bad there were practically no pecans," said Jill Montz, manager of The Pecan Shed, "in fact we harvested about a fourth of our crop. This year is much better, we're harvesting close to 80%."
Montz said her family's 27,000 pecan trees produce around 1 million pounds of nectarous nuts in an average year.
Theirs aren't the only trees, however, out-performing last year's crop.
People packing pecans are selling off their harvest to Montz by the sack-full.
Montz said just like any other crop, the price she pays is dictated by market conditions.
"We started off paying $0.50 a pound," explained Montz, "we're up to paying $0.55 a pound. It's a market, so it fluctuates day-by-day sometimes."
In addition to other people, pecan harvesters also have to compete with other species.
"We tell growers to get out there and get them before the crows and the squirrels and all the rest of the critters get them," said Bill Ree with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office.
When harvesting your own crop, experts said be kind to the trees and don't hit them.
You might damage the tree and that could hurt your next harvest, which would be bad news for the millions of people around the world waiting to dive into a bag of the tasty Texas treats.
Reporter's Notes by Ryan Robertson:
If you want to keep all your pecans, but don't want to go through the task of cracking each one, the folks at the Pecan Shed will crack them for you, and it'll only cost $0.40 per pound.
The area's largest pecan producer is staying busy this year, thanks to a hearty harvest.
"Last year, the drought was so bad there were practically no pecans," said Jill Montz, manager of The Pecan Shed, "in fact we harvested about a fourth of our crop. This year is much better, we're harvesting close to 80%."
Montz said her family's 27,000 pecan trees produce around 1 million pounds of nectarous nuts in an average year.
Theirs aren't the only trees, however, out-performing last year's crop.
People packing pecans are selling off their harvest to Montz by the sack-full.
Montz said just like any other crop, the price she pays is dictated by market conditions.
"We started off paying $0.50 a pound," explained Montz, "we're up to paying $0.55 a pound. It's a market, so it fluctuates day-by-day sometimes."
In addition to other people, pecan harvesters also have to compete with other species.
"We tell growers to get out there and get them before the crows and the squirrels and all the rest of the critters get them," said Bill Ree with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office.
When harvesting your own crop, experts said be kind to the trees and don't hit them.
You might damage the tree and that could hurt your next harvest, which would be bad news for the millions of people around the world waiting to dive into a bag of the tasty Texas treats.
Reporter's Notes by Ryan Robertson:
If you want to keep all your pecans, but don't want to go through the task of cracking each one, the folks at the Pecan Shed will crack them for you, and it'll only cost $0.40 per pound.
