The Austin County Pecan Show for the 2025 crop year was judged on Dec. 6, at the Austin County Exten- sion Office in Bellville. Dr.
Philip Shackelford judged fifty-five entries.
Pecans were judged on weight before and after shelling, on the color of the pecan meat, on the absence of insect defects, and on how easily they shelled out.
This is a free contest for any resident who has a pecan tree, whether it’s in your yard, your pasture, or an orchard.
The educational program held in conjunction with the awards presentation educated attendees on “What it Takes to Win the State Pecan Show.” This Annual Pecan Show is hosted by the Austin County Horticulture Committee & Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Austin County.
The results are as follows: Note that places were given down as far as the Judge saw necessary in each of the categories. In the Native category, there were 19 entries, and the top five will move on to the Regional Contest. The winners were:
•Classic & New Varieties Champion – Pete Berckenhoff (Fayette).
• Classic & New Varieties Reserve Champion – Pete Berckenhoff (Variety Seedling).
•First Place Mahan – Tina Webb.
•First Place Other Varieties – Pete Berckenhoff (Fayette).
•Second Place Other Varieties – Amy and Merrill Wood (Lakota).
•First Place Shawnee – Clint Rinn.
•First Place Stuart – Freddie Engelbrecht.
•Second Place Stuart – Tina Webb.
•Third Place Stuart – Tina Webb.
•First Place Success – Chance Riden.
•Second Place Success – Fidel Campos, 1st Place Variety Seedling – Pete Berckenhoff.
•Second Place Variety Seedling – Veronica Ashorn.
• 3rd Place Variety Seedling – Randy and Adrienne Petter.
•Commercial Champion – Ronnie Kuciemba (Kiowa).
•Commercial Reserve Champion – Doug Schultz (Pawnee).
•First Place Cheyenne – Nisha Coker.
•Second Place Cheyenne
– Pete Berckenhoff.
•First Place Desirable – Ronnie Kuciemba.
•Second Place Desirable – Pete Berckenhoff.
•Third Place Desirable – Nisha Coker.
•First Place Kiowa – Ronnie Kuciemba.
•First Place Mohawk – Ronnie Kuciemba.
•First Place Nacono – Henry Mlcak.
First Place Pawnee – Doug Schultz.
•Second Place Pawnee – Amy and Bubba Wood •First Place Schley – Tina Webb.
•Second Place Schley – Tina Webb.
•Native Champion – Luedeker Farms.
•Native Reserve Champion – George and Betty Thiel.
•First Place Lightest Pecan – Charlotte Rinn, 216 pecans to make 1 lb.
•Second Place Lightest Pecan – Sherry Burnham, 181 pecans to make 1 lb.
•First Place Natives – Luedeker
Farms.
• Second Place Natives – George & Betty Thiel.
• Third Place Natives – Alan Hozak.
• Fourth Place Natives – Theodore Wittner.
•Fifth Place Natives – Annie Wittner.
Twenty-seven pecan entries will move on to the East Regional Pecan Show in February.
For questions, contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Stacie Villarreal at 979-865-2072.
