A photo of pecans. (credit: CBSDFW.COM)

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Good news if pecans are a part of your favorite holiday recipes, Texas pecan growers are expecting a bumper crop this year. The majority of the 2011 crop was lost to drought and that meant limited supply at a higher price.

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service this year’s harvest should be in the 65 million-pound range, which is a considerable increase. “On average Texas producers harvest over 52,000,000 pounds of pecans every year, valued at over $87 million,” explained Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts the U.S. pecan harvest will hit 308.6 million pounds in 2012 and a majority of those nuts will come from the Lone Star State.

“Texas ranks in the top three states in the nation for pecan production. In fact, pecans grow in 231 of our states 254 counties,” Staples said.

Some of that big business is coming from right here in North Texas. Montague County is among the top pecan producing counties in the state. According to Staples, “Pecans are grown by 3,600 producers, on almost 92,000 acres.”

Besides being an integral part of nearly every family cookbook, the pecan is also the official state tree.

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