Texas Goes Nutty For National Pecan Month This April

The Texas Department of Agriculture has officially gone nutty! That's right, Commissioner Sid Miller urged all citizens to celebrate National Pecan Month by recognizing our local growers. With up to 200,000 acres of Texas land dedicated to pecan production, this often overlooked market can swing just as hard as the big crops.

You Wanna Get Nuts? Come On! Let's Get Nuts!

Actor Michael Keaton said it best in 1989, and Texas is finally listening.

Across the nation, Texas ranks third place in pecan production, generating between $240 million and $300 million in economic value before processing and exporting.

Not only are pecans vital to the state's economy, orchards can yield products for multiple generations, Commissioner Miller mentioned. These productive orchards then support and sustain local family farms and rural communities in the process.

Texas' History with the Pecan

You may look at this solitary nut and think, "Boy, this sure is insignificant." First off, if you do that to your food, you should probably talk to someone. But also, you'd be dead wrong. Whether it's past Texas governors requesting pecan trees be planted at their headstones or the widely accepted pecan pie as the state's official dessert, none can deny the pecan's deep roots in Texas history.

Sid Miller's call to action is to ask all Texans to help support our local growers:

During National Pecan Month, I encourage every Texan to support our growers and choose Texas-grown pecans whenever you can.

To learn about the various assistance programs that Texas offers pecan growers across the state, you can always visit the Texas Department of Agriculture Grants and Services webpage.