Choctaw Elder Pecan Harvest
Published January 3, 2025The Choctaw Nation’s Agricultural Department held its annual Elder Pecan Harvest on Thursday, December 5, 2024. The event drew around 300 elders from every district in the Choctaw Nation, who were shuttled in from their community centers to the pecan orchard near Idabel, Oklahoma.
“This is the sixth year the Choctaw Nation has hosted the Elder Pecan Harvest and each year, more seniors come out for the day,” said Jody Standifer, executive officer of agriculture. “The orchard has around 1,000 pecan trees, and this year elders were able to pick and take home around 3,000 pounds of pecans.”
This is the first year for Lou Phillips, District 3, to attend the Pecan Harvest. She came out to spend the day with her Choctaw family, enjoy fellowship, and gather pecans for baking cookies, brownies and pies.
Rachel Dickson, District 2, enjoyed her first trip to the Pecan Harvest. “I have never picked pecans before, so I wanted the experience,” she said. “I plan to use the pecans I gathered for pecan pies for Christmas.”
Veteran pecan picker Karen Blake, District 3, returned for a third time to Idabel for the Elder Pecan Harvest. She was able to gather enough pecans for holiday baking.
