Judges go nuts for Martindale pecan producer

The East Region pecan show for the 2020 crop year was judged earlier this year at the G. Rollie White Visitors Center in College Station, Texas.
One hundred sixty samples from 12 counties were recorded as participants. Fifty-six individual pecan producers were represented in the entries. The number of variety awards by county was as follows: Anderson-1, Austin-9, Brazoria-2, DeWitt-13, Fort Bend-2, Guadalupe-11, Lavaca-6, Milam-10, Navarro-5, Victoria-8, and Washington-18.
Troy Swift, of Martindale (Guadalupe Co. Show), had the most individual awards (eight), including four first place, two second place and two third place awards. Swift also had the Grand Champion Commercial Pecan with his Nacono.
Tim Meier of Washington County won Reserve Champion Commercial pecan with his Caddo. In the Classic & New Division, the Grand and Reserve Champion were both won by Mr. Robert Schuetze of Milam County, with Waco Wonder (Grand) and GraTex (Reserve).
The Grand Champion Native pecan in the East Region was won by George and Betty Thiel, Austin County, and the Reserve Native was won by Robert Tobola of Lavaca County. The heaviest pecan sample in the show was a Podsednik variety, entered by Cinco B Farms of Washington County, weighing 24.8 per pound. The lightest pecan, weighing 343 per pound, was entered by Robert Luedeker, Luedeker Farms of Austin County.
Special assistance with the show was provided by Robert Luedeker, Austin County, and Tim Meier, Washington County. The judges for the show were Bill Ree, Extension Entomologist-Retired, and Stephen Janak, Extension Program Specialist, Dept. of Horticulture with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The show was coordinated and managed by Dr. Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station. Ribbons and plaques for the winners are sponsored by the Texas Pecan Growers Association.