That means investment in a large inventory of parts and specialized tools, as well as specialized training for service workers. For other agribusinesses, harvest time means work time. December is usually the peak month for harvesting and buying pecans, says Phillip Arnold with the San Saba pecan buying station in Las Cruces. San Saba is a division of Morven Partners, which buys as much as 90 million pounds of pecans nationwide each year. Arnold buys from growers with a couple of thousand acres, as well as area residents who have small lots of trees in their backyards.
Price depends on supply.
This year the pricing was strong because of short supply. Pecans bought at the station are shipped to El Paso or San Saba, Texas for shelling, Arnold says. Most are then sold for commercial use by companies like Sara Lee and Dreyer s Grand Ice Cream. He worked in the meat packing industry in the Midwest for four years before returning home to thaw out. This is my home, he says.