Jackie Brister of Bend, is the 2026 State Commercial Division Champion with his Choctaw variety pecan. Judging was held in San Marcos with some stiff competition. It started at the county show, where Jackie won first in several categories and Reserve Success. From there, he moved on to regionals with big wins and ultimately winning the highest honor at the state level.
Jackie is no stranger to pecans. From an early age, growing up on Rough Creek, Jackie learned that pecan harvesting was a very hard job. Along with his siblings, he worked every fall/winter, climbing trees and thrashing pecans out of trees with a pole, then gathering them to sell for his family. Some of his previous wins include 1986 State Champion Native, 2008 State Champion Native, 2019 State Champion Native, and this is the first time he won in the commercial division at state.
With the invention of the mechanical pecan harvester in the early 1970’s, this changed the whole pecan industry. Jackie said he bought one of the first mechanical harvesters that was made, which was invented by Ted Burnham and Lovell Sides, but his tractor was too big to pull it. Finally after some changes, Jackie had the right size tractor and was on his way with his new machine. Shortly thereafter, he purchased the first mechanical shaker to make his new way of “gathering pecans” complete. Before the invention of the mechanical shaker, Jackie said it would take 7-10 men to gather what one shaker could do. In one day, he could harvest 10,000 lbs. In 1986, Jackie planted his first pecan orchard on his place in Bend. He planted different varieties such as Wichita, Pawnees, Cheyenne & Choctaw. Pawnee is his favorite because of it’s early maturing and nice retail value. That’s where his winning Choctaw pecan came from. When asked, he said, “You can always tell where the good pecans are by which trees the ravens are at.” With lease properties in both San Saba and Lampasas counties, he gathers thousands of trees each year.
Over the many decades of pecan harvesting, Jackie and his son Michael have traveled to Oklahoma, DeKalb and Northeast Texas, Comanche county, Hamilton, Madisonville and pretty much anywhere custom harvesting was needed. On average, on any given year, anywhere from 500-600 thousand pounds of pecans are harvested by Jackie and his crew. Pre-Covid, there was a year where he gathered over a million pounds of pecans. Once the pecans are gathered, they are cleaned through his pecan cleaning system. This system allows all of the sticks, rocks, dirt to be removed from the huge drums of pecans, leaving the rest to be sifted by hand on the picking table. From here, his pecans are sold by the 18-wheeler truck load to large commercial shellers in states like Georgia to be used in candies, pies, ice cream and other products in grocery stores for the national retail consumer.
It’s a year-round job preparing for each pecan season. In the spring, before bud break, you’re spraying zinc to help with growth. May, you’re spraying for pecan casebearers. Some years, if it’s a wet year, you’re spraying after a rain for worms or scabs. You also have to keep the vegetation under control by shredding your pecan bottoms. After all of this, your Pawnee variety is ready in September, and that kicks off your pecan season each year.
When asked what this means to him, winning such a big prize, Jackie stated, “To have grown up here in San Saba county, which is known as the ‘Pecan Capital of the World,’ it is such a big honor for me as a commercial pecan producer.” At the young age of 91, his daughter-in-law asked him, “How long do you plan on harvesting pecans?” Jackie said, “As long as I’m able, I will continue to work hard and gather each year.” Gennifer stated, “It’s what he loves, it’s who he is, and in our family, he has created a legacy for many generations to come. We are so proud of him and proud for him to receive this highest honor.”