Texas A&M Agrilife's Dr. Larry Stein says the Texas cool weather crops are looking good but will probably be pricier. "Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach always mature better when it's cooler outside. The insects pressure lessens. Crops develop more flavor. It's all good!" Spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli mature better and develop more flavor in the cool. Dr. Stein says citrus is another story. "The challenge we're having with citrus was The Big Freeze we had in February [2021].. We lost a lot of the Texas crop - so citrus will be in short supply which means higher prices. Pecans, however: "quality is fairly good and the crop is looking good across the state." "
Price of Texas Pecans May Change
He says prices will be higher this year and the cost of labor is the biggest reason. "Those guys physically walk out, manually cut the crop, put it on the trailer and get it packaged ready for delivery to the market." Supply Chain issues won't get the prices any lower, either. "The packing materials: The pallets, the cardboard boxes, have all been in short supply. And sometimes the producers have to wait on trucks and truckers as well. Add the higher price of gasoline so their costs are higher."
Dr. Stein says even with higher prices, profitability for the producers will be down as well.
photo: GettyImages
Texas Cool Weather Crops will be tasty and pricey.Photo: Getty Images