“Since I was
four or five years old, and even when I was going to college, I knew I was going to come back and work on the farm.” Shortly after returning to the family farm full-time, Selman’s orchards were decimated by a harvest-time ice storm in 2007. The storm resulted in damage to 90% of the family’s pecan trees, not only immediately halting harvest, but also requiring extensive work to clear the orchards of downed limbs and branches from the storm. Even with the branches cleared, it took the family’s pecan trees three years to produce a crop that could be harvested. Even today, Selman estimates it could take up to five more years for some orchards to produce what he considers a regular crop. Some orchards will never fully recover.
During the years following the ice storm, Selman fanned out the custom pecan harvesting side of his business, taking on acres outside of the main 2007 ice zone as he expanded his harvesting radius up to 80 miles. This allowed him to continue using his investments in pecan harvesting and cleaning equipment, helping overcome the effects of the storm. Getting through the years directly following the storm required Selman to make adjustments on his farm, but it also provided him with lessons that he took to heart as the family farm transitioned to being fully under Chad’s management.
Chad Selman holds a sample of pecans in his cold-storage building. The facility allows Selman better opportunities to market his pecans at the most opportune time.
Pecans pour into a bin on Chad Selman's farm where they will go through the cleaning and Spring 2018 — 27 bulk packing process before being stored.