Stahmann Farms in New Mexico: Pecan History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and Contact Details
Profile updated November 2026
Stahmann Farms is the pecan operation in New Mexico's Mesilla Valley that began with Deane Stahmann, who established the first significant pecan orchard in the state in 1932. New Mexico Magazine reports that the family farms 3,200 acres of estate-grown pecans, in a state that ranks second nationally for pecans and where pecans are the top commercial food crop.
| Location | Mesilla Valley, near Las Cruces, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Founded | Pecan orchard established by Deane Stahmann in 1932 |
| Sectors | Pecans (estate-grown, harvested and processed on the property); wholesale nut sales |
| Scale | 3,200 acres of estate-grown pecans, as reported by New Mexico Magazine (2015) |
| Why it is elite | Pioneer of New Mexico's commercial pecan industry and one of its largest estate-grown orchards |
| Ownership | The Stahmann family, as reported in 2015 |
| Official website | New Mexico Magazine article on New Mexico pecans |
History of Stahmann Farms
Deane Stahmann planted the first significant pecan orchard in New Mexico in 1932, a few miles from the experimental trees of horticulturist Fabian Garcia. Many of the trees that line NM 28 through the valley were planted under his direction. Cotton was the original main crop, and he interplanted pecan trees among cotton fields so cotton could earn income while the trees matured, a smart way to finance a crop that needs years to bear.
He also developed pruning methods that let more light reach all branches and replaced hand-gathering of nuts with mechanized tree shaking, a basic technique still used today. In 1939 the writer Ernie Pyle called him the Henry Ford of the Upper Valley. The family once ran a country store among the orchards but later shifted to wholesale nut sales only.
What Stahmann Farms Grows and Raises
Stahmann Farms grows pecans in the irrigated bottomland of the Rio Grande valley. The family farms 3,200 acres of what it calls estate-grown pecans, meaning the nuts are grown, harvested and processed on its own property. Trees take eight to twelve years to yield a good crop, so orchard decisions are made on a decades-long clock.
Mechanized shaking and careful pruning are the practices tied to the farm's history. Tree counts, yields and harvest dates were not published in the sources reviewed, so none are stated here. Growers interested in New Mexico pecan production can find cultural guidance through NMSU Cooperative Extension and its pecan publications.
How Stahmann Farms Makes Money
Wholesale nut sales
According to New Mexico Magazine the family moved from retail to wholesale nut sales only. Selling in volume to buyers and processors fits an orchard of this size, and it removes the overhead of running a storefront. Prices and revenue are not published and none are estimated.
Estate-grown positioning
Because nuts are grown, harvested and processed on the property, the farm can describe its product as estate grown. Control over each step from tree to shelled nut gives the grower quality control, which wholesale buyers value.
Intercropping history
Cotton paid the bills while the first pecan trees matured. The lesson for orchard startups is that interplanting a short-cycle crop between young trees can bridge the income gap.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Stahmann Farms
Pecans reward patience and sequencing. Planting trees among a cash crop, as Stahmann did with cotton, funds the long wait for the first harvest. Anyone planning a tree crop should map cash flow across the first decade before breaking ground.
A second lesson is to choose the sales channel that fits the scale. The family tried a country store and then focused on wholesale. A third is to invest in mechanization and pruning, the two changes the farm is best known for. Cultural practices that raise efficiency tend to outlast any single year's price.
Calling a pecan grower the Henry Ford of anything is high praise, and we hope the trees took it as a compliment. Those of us who write farm satire for farm.FM admire an orchard where the farm humor is that you wait twelve years for a punchline, and the best ranch humor in the valley is probably told by whoever drives the tree shaker. Even our farm jokes can be gentle when the neighbors planted the orchards that line the road.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Stahmann Farms
Website: https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/pecan-power-93791/
No current official farm website was found for this profile. The contact link is a New Mexico Magazine article describing the operation; no public address, phone number or email was confirmed. The retail brand name Stahmanns Pecans appears separately in directories, so verify the current company before contacting.
Stahmann Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Pecan Power, New Mexico Magazine - Independent history of Stahmann and New Mexico pecans
- NMSU Guide H-626 - Extension publication on New Mexico pecan growing
- Exhibit on Mesilla Valley farm workers - News coverage of the farm's labor history
- NMSU Cooperative Extension Service - Land-grant guidance on orchard crops and water
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official data on New Mexico farms
Stahmann Farms FAQ
When did Stahmann Farms begin?
Deane Stahmann established the first significant pecan orchard in New Mexico in 1932, according to New Mexico Magazine.
How large is it?
The family farms 3,200 acres of estate-grown pecans, as reported in 2015.
Where is it?
In the Mesilla Valley of the Rio Grande near Las Cruces, New Mexico.
How do I buy Stahmann pecans?
The family moved to wholesale-only sales, so check the current company and its distributors before ordering.
Stahmann Farms built New Mexico's pecan industry one orchard at a time, and the pecans still anchor the valley. See the New Mexico farms guide and the other profiles for more operations.