Monte NesbittGeorge Ray McEachernLarry Stein

TPGA Conf. Proceedings: Board of Directors passed a vot to hold a state pecan show in Fall, 1950.

Judged at Texas A&M College in College Station in December

Fred Brison, Al Krezdorn, John Hutchinson, Bluefford Hancock instrumental

Winner was E. Guy Risien, San Saba County

Joint Project: TPGA & A&M College Horticultural Club Heaviest Pecan, Highest Percent Kernel, Most Attractive Best Shelling Pecan (2ft drop, all kernels weighed that can

be removed by hand with no shell or cork attached) Best Kernels (appearance, texture, flavor) Best Sample: Stuart, Success, Schley, Desirable, Mahan,

Western Schley, Burkett Delmas, San Saba Imp., Onliwon, Halbert, John Garner, Moore ,

Squirrels Delight (Added 1958) Best Native First Recorded Data Heaviest Pecan: Mahan 35 Nuts/Pound Highest % Kernel: Evans Seedling: 64.26% Kernel

Brison Hancock Storey

First Show: Eastland County, Dec. 8, 1953 Credited to “energy and organizing ability of County Agent

J.M. Cooper” (TPGA News 1/27/55).

• Included a pecan food show in 1955

• San Saba County: Fist Show, Dec. 10, 1955

• Gonzales, Guadalupe, Travis (1956), Menard (1957)

• TPGA News 11/17/59: “This channeling of the top pecan entries from several county shows has helped to make the State Show one of the best in the country”.

1956 Show (“largest ever”) 172 entries

1958: 180 entries from 15 counties. Had class for Hybrid Pecans

(USDA Cross) 1959 : 223 entries from 14

counties. 1960 : 425 entries from 19

counties. 1962 : 527 entries

1959 TPGA Convention; plaques awarded to grand, reserve and champion native pecan entries

1959 Pecan Queen was selected based on counties having the most category winners.

Pecan Food Show at 1962 Texas State Fair

Regina Balch, Coryell Co. 1967 Pecan Queen

1953: Barton released by USDA 1955: Comanche released 1959: Choctaw , Wichita and Apache released 1960 Grand Champion: Choctaw

entered by J.H. Womack, Deleon: 43 /lb; 60% kernel.

1961 Show: Choctaw, Comanche, and Wichita had their own classes.

GraTex GraKing GraPark

Giant GraBohls GraZona GraCross

O.S. Gray, Arlington, TX; TPGA President (62-63)

Nelson Hander: ‘Texhan’

L.D. Romberg, USDA Pecan Breeder

Two Divisions for Improved Varieties: Inshell: Variety less than 50/lb and suitable for sale in the shell. Shelling: more than 50/lb and more marketable as shelled.

Variety seedling: One parent is known or suspected. Native: hybridized under natural conditions. Winning natives from past shows moved to separate

category Awards: Champion Inshell, Reserve Champion Inshell,

Champion & Reserve Shelling, Champion & Reserve Native, Grand Champion of Show.

PL Downs Sweepstakes award given to winner of most category points, sponsored by Bell County.

841 Entries Lightest Pecan category

added Sample size increased from

15 to 25 nuts No marking, filing, or

polishing of shells rule added.

750 Entries; All winning entries

displayed at TPGA Annual Conf.

The Texas Pecan Show was too big!

MarieStorey

Regional Shows Instituted West, Central, South Robert Kensing instrumental

Public Sites (Malls) utilized for publicity “Show Window of the Texas Pecan Industry” “Demonstrate superior quality of Texas pecans” Provide evaluation of new varieties State Show held in conjunction with TPGA July Conference

Coordination by Extension Pecan Specialist 1966-1971: Bluefford Hancock

1972-2001: George Ray McEachern (30 years!) 2002-2009: Larry Stein

Published “Texas Pecan Grading Handbook” Annually

Educational Tool for teaching growers and extension agents how to grade pecans for sale.

Improved Divisions changed to Commercial & Classic

4th Region added in 1990

Began computerized County-Region-State System of tracking entries. (1990).

49 Variety Classes (12 possible entries per Division=588 entries possible at state show)

Developed a “Team” of county agents, specialists,

and growers to keep a consistent system in place.

Eddie Holland

Mac Gilliat

Sammy Helmers Earl Puls Bob Kensing B. Hancock J.B. Storey

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08

1995

2008Average 366/Year

What is the most decorated pecan cultivar in the history of the Texas State Pecan Show?

Heaviest pecan ever entered? Lightest pecan ever entered? Highest kernel percentage recorded? Who has won the most grand/reserve champion

awards? What county has produced the most champion

awards?

Inshell/Shelling Era Champion Reserve Total

Sioux 12 6 18

Cheyenne 6 10 16

Wichita 6 6 12

Choctaw 6 5 11

Desirable 4 4 8

Kiowa 2 3 5

Commercial/Classic Era Champion Reserve Total

Cheyenne 9 2 11

Schley 6 2 8

Oconee 3 3 6

Pawnee 2 4 6

Wichita 1 4 5

Sioux 1 4 5

27

23

17

CHEYENNE, Released 1970Average Values: 1989-200845.67 per pound57.22 % kernel

SIOUX, Released 1962Average Values: 1989-200859.7 per pound59 % kernel

Lightest Native: 2002: 1,008 Per Pound; Herbert Dudley, Burleson Co.

Second Lightest: 1979: 889.4 Per Pound; Taylor County Courthouse

Third Lightest: 1989: 872 Per Pound; Frank Jones, Kerr Co.

Heaviest Pecan on Record: 2000: Podsednik; 18.61 Per Pound; 52.6% Kernel

▪ Grown by John Robertson, County???▪ 19.72 Per Pound; 54.3% (1989); Grown by Victoria Arlitt, Washington County

Heaviest Pecan, Not a Podsednik Mohawk-24.4 Per Pound; 57.6% Kernel

▪ Grown by Wilberly & Sons, Travis County (1982)

Nuts/lb Grown by Year County

36.7 H.C. Pape 1956 Guadalupe

37.6 Edward Menchaca 1962 Kimble

38.3 John Braden 1965 DeWitt

38.6 C.D. Alexander 1963 Bastrop

Grower Years won Total County

L.G. Holland 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970 4 Bell

Happy Schieberle 1955, 1982, 1984 3 Kimble

Nelson Hander 1958, 1961, 1964 3 DeWitt

Highest Percent Kernel: GraTex: 67.58% Kernel (47.5 Per Pound) Andy Sherrod/Royalty Pecans, Burleson Co., (1991) 67.57% GraTex, Joel Morrow, Matagorda Co. (1993) 67.53% GraTex Frio Pecan Farm, Real Co. (2007) 67.42% Known Hybrid, Leon Puckett, Tom Green

(1990) 67.40% GraTex, Frio Pecan Farm, Real Co. (1990) 67.0% Schley Sibling, Leonard Farm, Mills (1966)

Loy Shreve August Treiber Bluefford Hancock

Grower County Entries

Belding Farms Pecos 51

Ray Barrett Upton 52

Boyd Reece Midland 57

Harold Graf Wharton 57

Kermit Crenweldge Gillespie 57

Five-R Enterprises El Paso 58

Leroy Olsak Schleicher 62

Chester McCowan Runnels 64

Jeanne & Jerry Knapp Navarro 67

Grower County Entries

Robert Schuetze Milam 70

August Treiber Kerr 70

Marian Spears Kerr 73

Childress Ag Eastland 84

Frio Pecan Farm Real 87

Nelson Hander Bell 88

Olan Tisdale San Saba 101

Fred Stockbauer Victoria 118

Dinsmoor Bros. Atascosa 169

Grower participation is evidence of support to county extension efforts and tremendous pecan knowledge in the county.

Grower 1962-1988 1989-2008 Total

Hander Nelson 8 0 8

Dankworth Charles 6 1 7

Schutze Robert 0 7 7

Lewis Troy 5 0 5

Freeman B.B. 4 0 4

Risien E.G. 4 0 4

Leonard Farms 4 0 4

Welch James 1 3 4

M&S Orchards 0 3 3

Weiser-Mize Olivia 0 3 3

Greer J.L. 3 0 3

Smith C.E. 3 0 3

B.B. Freeman, C.E. Smith & Nelson Hander

Robert Schuetze, Milam County, 7-time winner

Nelson Hander (L), 8-time winner

Others took losing TOO Seriously!!!

“The Sink-Tank”

Counties 1962-1988 1989-2008 Total

Eastland 11 2 13

Bell 11 1 12

San Saba 7 1 8

Concho 6 1 7

Tom Green 5 2 7

Milam 0 7 7

Medina 2 6 8

Bastrop 3 3 6

Mills 5 0 5

Upton 3 2 5

Brazoria 1 4 5

Terrell 0 3 3

The Texas Pecan Show validates pecan growing throughout the state of Texas State winners have come from all regions: Brazoria county, etc.

Introduces new pecan varieties and provides feedback on variety performance to growers, extension agents and pecan researchers/breeders.

Helps identify/reveal valuable genetic diversity in natives. The best growers are identified and rewarded for their

devotion to pecan growing. The Pecan Show teaches a large # of people how to grade

pecans for commercial marketing. Even though grading isn’t an absolute determination of price.

Validates that either by chance or by intent, high quality pecans can be produced every year in Texas even in bad years.

Reinforces standing recommendations for growing pecans small scale and large scale.

The Texas Pecan Show was a successful vehicle for promoting pecans and TPGA from the 1950’s to 1980’s. 1968 Show was moved to Wonderland Shopping City (San

Antonio) for 3 days after TPGA Conf.

Having the same impact today?

What does pecan show tell us about variety utilization in Texas? Are there trends in implementation?

Does the pecan show reveal increased capability of pecan growers to produce good quality pecans or larger pecans? Are there qualitative trends?

Is the pecan show a barometer of the interest in growing pecans in Texas?

What does the pecan show tell us about how to grow pecans? Repeat winners have invaluable insight to pecan culture.

Need more feedback on what they did or didn’t do.

Bluefford Hancock Fred Brison Benton Storey George Ray McEachern Robert Kensing Mac Gilliat Eddie Holland Dorothy See Larry Stein John Begnaud Sammy Helmers Tommy Thompson L.J. Grauke Frank Churchill, Frank’s Trophy Shop-San Saba George Madden

Pecan show data from 1966 to 1973 1988 Data 2006 Winners Monte Nesbitt 979-862-1218

Support/encourage county extension efforts on pecans.

After several centuries of scientifically determining how to torture his fellow man, mankind has decided that the very worst torture is to sit in an uncomfortable position and listen to someone talking an excessive length of time.

Some people suspect that certain foreign agents unfriendly to the U.S. got this idea while trying to infiltrate some of the numerous conventions held in our great country.

For this reason everything short of an electric cattle prod will be used to keep the program moving, interesting, interspersed with enough breaks and stretching periods to prevent hardening of the arteries and on schedule.

Al H. Krezdorn, TPGA Secretary