And we ve got to be one of the most diverse in the nation next to the Pacific Coast states. Major crops include alfalfa, chile, cotton, corn silage for dairies and a number of fresh-market vegetables like cabbage, lettuce and onions. About half the state s production comes from land within a four-mile radius. David Salopek says his family grew cotton until the late 1960s, when his father decided pecans were a better way to go. In the valley, we have a very good climate for pecans, he says.
Low humidity means fewer diseases.
The elevation means the nights cool off and help produce the creamy, golden pecans consumers are looking for. Occasionally, the weather doesn t cooperate, as in fall 1992 when the Salopeks lost 300 acres of pecans to hail. When we were harvesting, there was a definite line where the hail hit, he says. When your office is outside, you re subject to whatever Mother Nature has to offer you. The area s abundant sunshine, however, usually prevails.