Letter from the Editor: "Dad's Hands" - Pecan South MagazinePecan South magazine | The pecan industry's leading publication, published monthly for pecan producers, processors and all others involved or interested in the pecan industry.

Back to February 2023

Letter from the Editor: “Dad’s Hands”

Congrats to the winner of our 5th Annual Photo Contest!

Congrats, Lindsay Holcomb, the winner of our Fifth Annual Photo Contest! Her father, Joe Thomas' hardworking hands holding some pecans. (Photo by Lindsay Holcomb)

Dear Readers,

I am excited to announce the winner of our annual Harvest Photo Contest—“Dad’s Hands,” taken by Lindsay Holcomb. Lindsay entered this photo of her father Joe Thomas after harvest hoping to surprise him. “Harvesting pecans is something I grew up doing with my dad in Atoka and Bryan County, Oklahoma. We are probably a small operation compared to most, but it still ingrained in me the value of hard work,” she says.

Congratulations, Lindsay! Thank you for sharing this photo with us. Readers, you can spot their winning picture on our cover.

This year we followed the same process established years ago when selecting a winner. In October 2022, we opened our Photo Contest to submissions and received entries from around the world. Pecan growers and industry members took the time to capture the beauty of their orchards and pecan businesses. From foggy mornings to beautiful sunsets, entries showcased the wonder and hard work of growing pecans.

After the submission deadline, the Pecan South staff struggled to narrow the photos to just five finalists, so we selected six and left it up to our readers. We created a poll and shared it via email, and allowed people to vote on Facebook and Instagram. With your help, we found our winner. Lindsay’s photo sparked a sense of nostalgia in many voters. On social media, several people said the image reminded them of their own dad’s hands.

We’ll be back this fall for our next photo contest. So if you’d like a chance at getting on the cover, you can start taking photos and thinking about your entries now. And maybe, it’ll be your photo on the February 2024 cover!

I’d also like to recognize our other finalists: Dennis Hardman, Jim Ober, Shauna Nielsen, David Breidenbach, and Holly Matthews. Many contest voters said they thought all the photos were beautiful, and it was hard to choose between them. (We understand that struggle!) Their pictures can be found on page 28. We’ll also share all our entries on the website and Facebook, so keep an eye out.

Congrats again, Lindsay! And thank you again to everyone who sent us a photo! We enjoyed seeing moments of your life and pecan operation, and I can’t wait to see the great pictures you all take for the next contest. You all are indeed the best part of this magazine.

Sincerely,

Catherine Clark

Managing Editor

Catherine Clark

Catherine Clark is the managing editor of Pecan South. She has her M.S. in Journalism from the University of Southern California, and her B.A. in Communication and Spanish from Trinity University. For questions, comments or concerns, she can be reached at cclark@pecansouthmagazine.com.