Brothers' pecan orchard has rich family history

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Bill (left) and Mark Cross check the pecans on their 180-acre pecan orchard in Hunt County. The pecans are about ready (shown right) but the casings still have some moisture. The orchard was started by Harry Cross, Bill and Mark's grandfather, in 1924. Some trees in the orchard still have tags with his handwriting . -- Staff photos by Kramer

Oct. 21, 2004 - In 1924 Harry Cross began cultivating pecans on 125 acres in Hunt County. Eighty years later, his grandsons Bill, 48, and Mark Cross, 53, are still growing pecans on the same land.

Prior to 1924 Harry Cross had purchased 125 acres that cotton and corn were grown on. In 1924, after talking with several people in the area, Harry decided to clear the land and begin growing pecans.

Today, neither of his grandsons was sure why he chose to become a pecan grower.

After years of diligent work, Harry was finally able to reap the rewards of his hard work. Bill recalls seeing a record of his grandfather's first harvest of 60 pounds.

Today, Cross and Cross Pecans produces at least 35,000 pounds of pecans every year, but has had harvests as large as approximately 140,000 pounds.

Harvest every year depends on weather patterns. Bill and Mark both noted that in some cases, pecans will fall from the trees and rain water will carry them off to larger bodies of water.

"It's heart-wrenching," said Mark. "You spent all season nurturing that crop." According to the brothers, one large rain can ruin the year for a pecan grower.

The pecan operation, now on 180 of the brothers' total 350 acres, is the site for pecan variety research, grafting seminars and the family pecan retail business. By participating in the research test program, the brothers are able to have a head-start on new varieties that may hit the market.

They regularly have grafting seminars at the orchard. Grafting is done when producers desire to change pecan varieties on their operation. It involves cutting the top (or a branch) off one tree, and matching a small segment of another tree to the stump. Eventually, when done properly, the layers will grow together and a new variety of pecan can grow on the tree.

Grafting began on the farm after World War II, when Bill and Mark's father, Harry Cross Jr., returned home.

"They had been growing Western varieties, then they found out that we were actually on the eastern side, and they moved the line to west of Fort Worth," said Bill.

Besides changing varieties, Harry Cross Jr. also changed the planting strategy.

"In the '60s he started planting in rows. He could see the mechanical harvesting coming," added Bill. "By the '60s and '70s the workforce was dwindling and we were forced to move to mechanical harvesting."

Pecans are shook from the tree with a giant clamp attached to a tractor. Then, a machine moves along the ground picking up everything in it's path. Large sticks are removed, and the pecans are stored in a bin that is dumped into a larger bin then taken to the finishing facility. There, pecans are placed on a large conveyor belt where six to eight people stand guard, pulling out any debris. The pecans are then sent through a spinning tunnel with holes in it. The first holes are the smallest, and the tiniest pecans will fall out of those holes and into a sack. The holes get larger through the length of the tunnel, and the biggest pecans, sold to local customers, will end up falling out last.

Several varieties and sizes are grown on the farm. The larger pecans are sold to local customers. Mainly the pecans are sold out of family homes. Bill and Mark's wives, along with the men's mother, Margaret, help sell the pecans from the beginning of November through the end of the year. They sell pecans in-shell and cracked for $1.50 a pound and offered shelled pecans year-round for $6 a pound. Local sales make up 15 to 25 percent of their sales.

At the end of the year, the smaller pecans and any pecans that did not sell locally are sent to shellers, who will shell the nuts and sell them for use in items such as snack cakes.

Both men agreed that pecan production is a unique enterprise.

"One out of every 10 years we will get a flood," said Bill.

"And there's no insurance," added Mike.

Both brothers noted that government programs are not available to pecan producers. In addition, most of the research for pecan growing in Texas is based on information from South Texas, where conditions are very different. The only way to learn about pecans production specific to Northeast Texas, according to Bill and Mark, is by word-of-mouth.

"There is not enough production up here that the USDA is going to spend money to research it," said Mark. He added, "Very few people understand the problems that we as producers face."

In addition to pecan production, the brothers have a small cow-calf operation and harvest hay.

"We are doing something in ag everyday," noted Bill.

Despite any problems, both brothers are content continuing in their father and grandfather's footsteps.

"There's some history. You remember things that happened 50 to 60 years ago; very few people have the kind of memories and knowledge," said Mark after recalling several memories he has of growing up on the same land that is still in production today.

"It's the fact that I'm continuing work my grandfather started 40, 50, 60 years ago," said Bill who added that sometimes that same factor makes business progress more difficult.

"It's hard to walk up to a tree with a chainsaw that I know my granddad planted." The brothers are planning to thin some trees on the property in the future; some of the trees date back to the Civil War era and others are marked with tags that still have their grandfather's handwriting on them.

Mark, who now works only on the farm, and Bill, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, have both had supplemental incomes over the years for financial support. They both agree that they don't grow pecans for money.

"We do it for the love of it, and the connection to the land," said Bill.

Mike recalls driving for a trucking company across the country and seeing abandoned farms that children, unlike he and Bill, did not take over.

"They don't know the legacy they turned their back on," said Mark.

The brothers, who both enjoy eating pecans, are constantly finding ways to have a successful business.

"They are a very prolific tree and will grow if they are where they belong," said Mark.

Pecans flourish at the Cross and Cross Pecan Farm and have found a place in the area retail market.

On Highway 69, five miles north of Greenville, in the small community of Kellogg, people are familiar with the Cross's pecans. Soon the family will be selling pecans to local customers, just as their family has done for over 60 years.