Local farmer makes last push to enjoy popular homegrown fruit

PECOS COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Permian Basin is home to an exclusive type of produce: the Pecos cantaloupe. Locals like Armando Mandujano understand what it takes to grow the cantaloupe.

“The cantaloupe really like(s) this hot, dry, arid climate,” he said. “And they do very well.”

Mandujano also said the cantaloupe has been in the Basin since before his family started the farm. However, time might be running out to enjoy the homegrown fruit, as the change in weather means fewer harvests.

“We’re approaching Labor Day and before long, we’ll be done,” he said. “As the days get a little shorter and the nights get longer, cantaloupe don’t do as well.”

But that’s not the only reason you might soon see fewer Pecos cantaloupes on your grocery store shelves, as Elaine Haby from the Pecos County Extension Office said there are declining numbers of local farms, like Mandujano’s, that grow the cantaloupe.

“With agriculture becoming a corporation, we’re losing that family farm,” she said. “Everyone in the family helps on that ranch.”

Mandujano also said other challenges to growing the cantaloupe include harvesting it daily and cooling it, but he plans to keep growing the fruit for “years to come.”

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