Bowie County couple has lifetime career producing pecans

By KRISTY HEMMINGSEN | East Texas Edition

For nearly four decades, Meredith and Ethel Edwards have grown, harvested, and marketed their pecans. Statewide, about 30 million pounds are marketed annually, generating $52.8 million. -Staff photo by Hemmingsen

November 8, 2001 -- As the holidays draw near, many East Texans will be indulging themselves with many varieties of pecan-made treats. Pecan pies, for one, have proven to be a popular dessert for complementing a southern Thanksgiving meal.

With so many pecans being used every season - Texas annually produces about 30 million pounds from October through January - there must be many producers.

In Bowie County, Meredith and Ethel Edwards have produced and sold hundreds of thousands of the pinkish brown nuts over a course of four decades.

The nearly 1,000-acre property the Edwards own, and partially use for growing their pecans, was originally the family's farm that was purchased in 1939.

In 1965, as a young man, Meredith decided to take advantage of the farm's abundant supply of pecans - both native and pecans of the Stuart variety which his father had grated many years before. The pecans were grown within about 100 acres of the farm's property.

Three years later, in 1968, Meredith married his bride Ethel. Together, the newlyweds chose to make "a go" out of the pecan business, and in 1969, they bought their first machinery which included a harvester, shaker, and a cleaner for pecans.

Meredith would harvest the pecans and Ethel would clean them.

At first, the pecans they produced and harvested were sold commercially, for around 19 cents a pound, to pecan accumulators who worked for large shelling companies.

The Edwards would harvest, clean, and then store the pecans they were marketing in burlap bags, and then would haul the pecans themselves to the companies they had sold them to.

With business booming, in 1974, the Edwards added a pecan-cracking machine to their entourage of pecan equipment.

And at one time, the Edwards even built their own cleaning facilities to custom-clean pecans for the area's other producers. Sometimes though, a heavy season would entail cleaning 24 hours a day. So, between the intense labor, and also the fact that it didn't prove to be too profitable, the Edwards chose to narrow the cleaning process down and do it only for family and close friends.

In the early 1980s, the Edwards' pecan farm became the headquarters for the East Texas division of the Young Shelling Company located in Florence, S.C.

"It's a good company to represent," said Meredith.

The Edwards also buy from area pecan growers in Texas, as well as other states, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, for the shelling company.

Today, pecans are sold based on the supply and demand's going price, which is then applied to a point system, which is then determined by the quality of a group of pecans, Meredith explained.

"The average native pecan in East Texas yields between 38 and 42 percent," explained Meredith. "If the going price was a dollar a point, a group of pecans that yields 42 percent would be priced at 42 cents a pound."

The Edwards now have 3,500 pecan trees on 420 acres. In addition to the native pecan trees, which they mostly grow, their largest percent of improved pecans are the Stuart variety. Other improved varieties of pecans they grow include Choctaw, Elliot, and Desirable.

The Edwards believe the Indian varieties, such as Choctaw, Caddo, and Pawnee, work best for the area.

"East Texas is not a prime place for growing pecans," stated Ethel. "The humidity plays a large part in the quality of pecans. Pecans trees are most vulnerable to insects and diseases when the humidity is high."

"Georgia has the best climate for producing pecans," added Meredith.

Severe weather can also dampen growing efforts, the Edwards noted. This past Christmas Day the Edwards' pecan orchards were hit with an ice storm. The pecan trees were horribly affected and suffered many busted limbs. About half of each tree was damaged and lost, Meredith remembered.

As a result, the Edwards say their production for this season has been lessened by about 60 percent. But even with the loss, the couple say they still have lots of pecans, and after the clean-up effort ends, they look forward to harvesting the pecans they do have.

Last winter's ice storm took a toll on the Edwards' and other area pecan producers' trees. But, as a whole, the pecan crop this year looks good.

"East Texas is only a small fraction of pecans produced in the United States," explained Meredith. "Therefore, prices were not affected at all. And right now, pecan production throughout the nation is great. The only thing affecting pecans now is the competition of walnuts and almonds."

When asked what they felt about their many years of producing pecans, Meredith replied by saying, "I love it. And I hope I've helped others in the past who have come to me wanting to know about the business and how they too could become pecan producers."

Ethel added, "It's something that gets in your blood. Maybe it seems weary towards the end of a season, but when the next time rolls around, I'm ready to go. I can't imagine not working with pecans."