100-Year-Old Bristow Farmer Still Growing Pecans After 70 Years

The record-breaking cold snap this week destroyed pecan crops across Oklahoma. But even losing nearly all his crop, won't stop a 100-year-old farmer from doing what he loves.

In the southeast corner of Creek County, just a few miles outside Bristow, sits a paradise of pecan trees on Joe Ihle's land.

The 100-year-old still drives around his farm, where he has worked for the last 70 years. He does the patient work of grafting his trees.

Ihle is a big OU fan. “By the way, I have not given up on our football team," he said.

And he hasn't given up on his pecans either. "It got down to 20 degrees here,” he said.

Ihle has about 2,200 pecan trees. He said despite the drought, this season would have produced a good harvest. But the overnight frost earlier this week destroyed about 95 percent of his crop.

It was not a total loss. Ihle found a tree with some pecans that made it through that bitter cold weather.

"And the shuck is split and we're hoping that when we harvest it, they'll come out,” he said.

The WWII veteran served in the Marine Corps, and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He does not like to talk about the war, but rather, the life he made for himself after.

In his 30s, Ihle started working in the pecan business. His family said he went on to be the first three-term president of the National Pecan Shellers and Processor's Association. Ihle used to sell pecans to Bama Pie, and Braum's.

"We planted most of these trees from seed,” he said. “So it's been, been a long time developing up to where they are now."

Seven decades later, he is looking ahead to the future.

"There's been more good than there's been bad. And at the end of the next 70 years, I'll tell you how good that's been,” he said.