Kriska, Knapps and Hewett pecan royalty

Doug Hewett of Navarro Mills captured champion honors respectively in the Commercial, Classic and Native Divisions of the 15th Navarro County Pecan Grading Demonstration held at the Brookshire’s Food Store Thursday and Friday.

Bernard and Genora Kriska won the Commercial Division with their Cheyenne entry which exhibited a cream color, shelled an edible kernel percentage of 57 percent and took 45.39 nuts to make a pound. In the Classic Division the Knapp’s Shawnee variety took top honors with an edible kernel percentage of 58.8 percent, and took 44.47 nuts to make a pound and had a golden color. In the Native division Hewett’s entry generated a yield of 57.4 percent edible kernel, took 74.36 nuts to make a pound and had a golden color.

The show had a total of 51 entries this year from seven commercial and home pecan growers. The Pecan Grading Demonstration is planned and conducted by the Navarro County Extension Horticulture Committee to demonstrate the methods of determining the value for pecans using current industry practices for grading pecans.

Awards for the show are sponsored by Navarro Pecan Company and Collin Street Bakery. The entries were judged by Dr. Tommy Thompson, USDA Agricultural Research Station in College Station and Austin Nixon, manager of Navarro Pecan Company.

In the Commercial Division varieties other placing were as follows: Caddo: First, Jerry and Jeanne Knapp. Cheyenne: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska of Bardwell. Choctaw: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska. Desirable First, Bernard and Genora Kriska and second Doug Hewett. Forkert: First, Doug Hewett, second Jerry and Jeanne Knapp, and third Bernard and Genora Kriska. Kiowa: First, Doug Hewett and second Bernard and Genora Kriska. Oconee: First, Jerry and Jeanne Knapp and second Doug Hewett. Mohawk: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska. Pawnee: First, Doug Hewett and second Bernard and Genora Kriska. Sioux: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska. Wichita: First, L.C. Dennie of Bardwell and second Bernard and Genora Kriska.

In the Classic Division the winners in the respective varieties were Barton: First, Doug Hewett. Cape Fear; First, place Jerry and Jeanne Knapp, second L.C. Dennie and third Doug Hewett . GraCross: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska and second Doug Hewett. Gratex: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska. Houma: First, Doug Hewett. Nacono: First, Doug Hewett. Podsednik: First, Doug Hewett and second Jerry and Jeanne Knapp. Shawnee: First, Jerry and Jeanne Knapp. Shoshoni: First, Jerry and Jeanne Knapp and second Bernard and Genora Kriska. Stuart: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska. Variety Seedlings: First, Jerry and Jeanne Knapp and second Bernard and Genora Kriska Other Varities: First, Bernard and Genora Kriska Gray Park Giant, second GrayZona Bernard and Genora Kriska and third GraKing Bernard and Genora Kriska.

In the Native division winners were First, Doug Hewett, second Doug Hewett and third, Mitch Schlottmon of Ennis.

Twenty-nine entries in the Navarro County Pecan Grading Demonstration will be forwarded to the Regional Pecan Grading Demonstration to compete with entries from the other counties in the Central region. The regional show is set for today and Wednesday at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Stephenville.

Extension Horticulture Committee members and volunteers assisting in processing the Pecan Grading Demonstration samples included Chairman Charles Bonnin, James Hodge, Seley Fuller, Mallie Hendryx, Jack Bradley and Bernard and Genora Kriska. Other volunteers assisting included Billy McNabb, L.C. Dennie, Holly Bond, Joe Estrada, and C.J. Wylie. Extension secretary Brenda Ray compiled records for the event.