East Texas produce stands see brisk business despite summer heat

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - It’s been a very good year so far for local farm produce, and roadside stands around East Texas are still doing a good business.

Conditions have been just right, and sellers are hoping that trend continues with a little help from the weather.

Highway 14 produce in Hawkins is a prime example of how good the East Texas growing season has been.

It’s a time of plenty.

“You know, people complain about the rain, but we’re always thankful for it,” said one worker.

Just the right amounts of rain and sun made it a good spring and early summer for East Texas growers, putting out an abundance of healthy produce.

“Looking at the rainfall, it has been a good growing season this year so far, and everything is still pretty green. So it does look promising,” says Gregg County Texas A&M Agri-life extension agent Shanequa Davis.

East Texas hayfields are healthy with second and third cuts.

“A lot of them have been able to get two, possibly three cuttings; just depends on how fast they’re able to get out in their hayfields,” Davis says.

And other fields like corn in Upshur County are green and growing.

“We have a lot of phone numbers for local farmers, and we call them and say we need this or that, and they usually bring it over. Some just pop in and we just buy it off a truck. Okra, watermelons, cantelope,” says Highway 80 Produce owner Allison Lott.

Summer drought is a variable that could restrict late production, but there’s always the fall planting.

“In the fall, when it cools down, it will get better, but we’re still getting a lot of good produce right now too,” Lott says.

Most roadside stands will stay open until around October, when pumpkins and other fall harvest items become available.

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