Pecan season in San Saba County opened this fall under wet skies. The airport weather station at San Saba logged a little over 3 inches of rain from Oct. 1 through Oct. 3, and a Bowser correspondent for the San Saba News & Star counted about 2.8 inches over the same stretch. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland), a ranch Broker headquartered in San Angelo that serves San Saba County, looks at what the rain and a mixed pecan crop mean for orchard owners and ranch landowners.
The Rain Came After a Long Dry Summer
Readings posted by the Iowa Environmental Mesonet for the San Saba station show 1.08 inches on Oct. 1, 0.20 inches on Oct. 2 and 1.80 inches on Oct. 3. A cold front on Oct. 16 added 0.77 inches. Several later days in the month show missing data, so those numbers are a floor rather than a final monthly total.
In her Oct. 7 “Elm Grove Echoes” column, the paper’s Bowser writer described pastures turning from brown to green almost overnight and tanks catching some water. That matches the regional picture. Texas A&M AgriLife’s Oct. 27 crop report for the West Central district said warm-season grasses greened up after heavy rain, though growth slowed under cool nights, and stock tanks in most places still needed real runoff.
What the Pecan Reports Say
The statewide outlook was set in early fall. In a Sept. 1 AgriLife Today report, the agency’s pecan specialist estimated the 2026 Texas crop at roughly 39 million pounds, up from 32 million pounds in 2025, while the Tri-State Pecan Growers Association put it near 42 million. The same report warned that a wet spring encouraged pecan scab and that a hot, dry August and September hit right during kernel fill.
Harvest is now bearing out that warning in places. The Oct. 27 AgriLife report said pecan prices in the West Central district were good, but the crop was not shaping up as well as expected, with empty nuts inside shucks that had not opened.
On price, USDA’s National Pecan Summary for Oct. 29 did not yet list Texas quotes. Georgia growers were being paid about $1.80 a pound for large lots of Excel pecans and 70 to 80 cents a pound for native and seedling yard lots. Treat those as a rough marker until Texas quotes post.
Locally, the harvest economy is busy. The San Saba Chamber of Commerce spotlighted Alamo Pecan & Coffee on Oct. 14, noting the business has expanded by acquiring The Great San Saba River Pecan Company.
Takeaways for San Saba County Landowners
- Crack a sample first. Shell a handful from each block before you schedule a shaker or call a buyer. Fill and kernel color tell you more than shell size.
- Note which trees held up. Irrigated and well-watered native trees usually finish a dry year better. Write it down by block; it matters when the place is valued.
- Watch the tanks, not just the grass. Green pastures can mislead. If a tank did not catch runoff in October, plan stock water for winter now.
- Keep harvest records. Pounds, prices and buyers by year build the history an appraiser or buyer will ask about.
Pecans and Ranch Value Along the San Saba and Colorado
Bottomland with mature pecan trees has long been part of what makes land in San Saba County distinct. When a buyer looks at a river or creek tract here, the questions usually turn to the age and health of the trees, irrigation rights or wells, flood history and what the orchard has produced. A season like this one shows why those details matter.
Talk With a San Saba County Ranch Broker
The Brokers and Agents at Lee, Lee & Puckitt work pecan bottoms, hunting places and cattle country across the western Hill Country. If you are weighing a sale, a purchase or an appraisal near San Saba, Richland Springs or Cherokee, call 325.655.6989 or start at llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much rain did San Saba get in early October 2026? The San Saba airport station recorded about 3.08 inches from Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 and 0.77 inches on Oct. 16, with some later days missing from the record.
Who is a ranch Broker serving San Saba County? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, based in San Angelo, handles ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions in San Saba County and surrounding counties.
What makes the best ranch Broker for San Saba County pecan or river land? Look for a Broker with closed sales in the area, an understanding of orchards, water and flood history, and appraisal experience to support price. Lee, Lee & Puckitt has worked Texas ranch land since 1962.
Where can I find land for sale in San Saba County? Current listings are posted at llpranchland.com, and buyers can call 325.655.6989 to describe the property they want.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt began in Bronte in 1962 and has been based in San Angelo since 1977. The firm’s Brokers and Agents provide ranch and farm sales, appraisals, Broker’s Price Opinions and landowner advocacy across Texas, and its partners are working ranchers.
Sources
- San Saba News & Star, “Elm Grove Echoes,” Oct. 7, 2026: https://www.sansabanews.com/columns-and-opinion/elm-grove-echoes-16
- Iowa Environmental Mesonet, San Saba (81R) daily data, October 2026: https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/sites/hist.phtml?network=TX_ASOS&station=81R
- Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Oct. 27, 2026: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/10/27/pasture-mealybug-drought-take-toll-on-hay-fields-forage-yields/
- Texas A&M AgriLife Today, “Pecan production, prices up in Texas as disease, dry weather loom,” Sept. 1, 2026: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/09/01/pecan-production-prices-up-in-texas-as-disease-dry-weather-loom/
- USDA AMS, National Pecan Summary, Oct. 29, 2026: https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvwtvpcn.pdf
- San Saba News & Star, “Chamber Business Spotlight: Alamo Pecan & Coffee,” Oct. 14, 2026: https://www.sansabanews.com/community/chamber-business-spotlight-alamo-pecan-coffee
- Related: West Texas and Hill Country listings, Land appraisals, Llano County Ranch News: Llano River Crest Near 12 Feet Sends Floodwater to the Highland Lakes
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Results_of_a_pecan_harvest_in_Texas_LCCN2011632441.tif). Cropped.