On November 8, 2025, 382 runners lined up inside the Sahuarita pecan orchards for the 16th Annual Pecan Classic, choosing between a 5K and a 10K under trees just starting to look like autumn. Green Valley firefighters cooked pancakes afterward, and 4-H kids brought a small petting zoo.
The 17th Pecan Classic was set for November 7, 2026. It won't happen. Farmers Investment Co., the Green Valley Pecan Company everyone around here just calls FICO, posted on its race page that it is "in the process of selling the orchards" and can't hold this year's race. Early registrants are getting refunds.
The trees aren't going anywhere. The thing that's ending is the public's regular way in. For years, the only reliable chance most Sahuarita residents had to stand among those trees was to sign up for a race.
How the Groves Became Something You Drive Past
Over time, the public's ways into the orchards closed one by one:
- The Sahuarita Pecan Festival. FICO's community page describes it as a fundraiser that ran over a ten-year span. The Tucson Sentinel reported in August 2019 that the festival was canceled that year.
- The Green Valley Pecans retail shop. KGUN reported in September 2021 that the store would close on December 31 of that year.
- Tours. FICO's tours page says it doesn't offer regular public tours. Local nonprofits, schools and associations can ask about group visits.
- The office. The company lists weekday office hours of 7:00 to 4:00, a PO Box in Sahuarita, and public access by appointment only.
That left the Pecan Orchard Run Series. It had three races a year: the Nut Run in spring, the Pecan Classic in fall, and a summer 5K that FICO's race page pitches as "a piece of heaven in the orchard," shaded by the full summer canopy. The 14th Annual Nut Run on March 28, 2026 now looks like the series' final race, though nobody knew it then.
The races also paid for things around town. According to FICO, the series gave more than $100,000 to local nonprofits and community groups over 17 years. Summer 5K proceeds went to Walden Grove X-Country, the Sahuarita 4-H Club, the Greater Green Valley Community Foundation and the Green Valley Firefighters Association. FICO now says the future of the series is unknown.
What the Sale Actually Commits To
FICO announced the deal on September 17, 2026. In its media release, the company says it's selling its assets, including orchards in Sahuarita, Continental and San Simon, to "a consortium of pecan growers." KVOA put the total at more than 7,000 acres changing hands.
The release puts the trees themselves first.
"This transaction ensures the FICO orchards will remain in pecan production for the foreseeable future and continue building on the FICO legacy."
FICO President and CEO Brian Driscoll said in the release that the buyers "will continue to be outstanding stewards of the land resources and will continue to grow high-quality pecans." A spokesperson for the buying group said they are "proud to be joining these communities as growers, neighbors, and caretakers of this land."
The release also explains why the race got caught up in all this. The deal transfers assets, not the company. So FICO employees' formal employment ends at closing. FICO is offering severance to people who stay through the transition, and the release says the buyer plans to keep a majority of the current workforce. The sale is expected to close "in the coming months," and the buyer's name will be released then. It's hard to put on a November race for hundreds of runners on land whose operator is about to change.
So the release covers a lot about trees, workers and pecan quality. It says nothing about races, festivals or public access, because those decisions will belong to an owner who hasn't been named yet.
Planted Thousands a Day, Six Decades Ago
Under the farming numbers, the groves have a local history. Green Valley News reported that Oscar Gomez, a founding member of the Santa Cruz Valley Historical Society and a former field worker, told a speaker series audience in April that he helped plant the first pecan trees near what is now La Posada. The same article says Keith Walden, a California farmer, bought 10,000 acres in the Sahuarita and Green Valley area in 1949 from the International Rubber Company and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. He added more land in the 1950s, including 4,700 acres in Sahuarita.
According to Gomez, the first trees went in during late 1964 and early 1965, with crews planting as many as 3,000 pecan trees a day. The last plantings were in 1968 and 1969. That means most of the trees along Nogales Highway are close to 60 years old.
Here's the scale behind the view, again from Green Valley News:
- The Sahuarita Farm sits at the base of the Santa Rita Mountains and covers 5,150 acres, with 3,326 of them planted.
- The Continental Farm, south of Sahuarita, covers 1,450 acres, with 1,157 planted.
- The San Simon farm, started in 2006, has 3,700 acres planted.
- About 80% of the trees are Wichitas and Western Schleys. Wacos, Bradleys, Pawnees, Navajos, Mandans and Cheyennes are mixed in for cross-pollination.
- The farms average about 2,200 pounds of pecans per acre, and more than 300,000 trees produce over 15 million pounds a year.
Those 300,000-plus trees are what the release promises to keep in production. Its promises are about yield and workforce, which shows what the deal is built around.
The Harvest Still Happens, Just From the Road
The harvest itself is still on the calendar this year. FICO's harvest explainer says harvest starts once the mature husks dry and split open. Mechanical shakers knock the nuts loose, and then they're gathered and cleaned.
The timing usually runs later than people expect. Back in 2011, the Tucson Sentinel reported that Sahuarita's harvest typically began in late November, often right after Thanksgiving, and lasted into late January. More recently, a FICO post from January 2024 described crews out in the fields on December 18, 2023, when the company set up coffee, cookie trays and chocolates among the trees, with Christmas music playing. Every crop year is different. Still, both sources suggest the busiest stretch arrives after the race date, not on it.
Since the orchards are private and public access is by appointment, the shoulder of the road is the best seat. Green Valley News photographers have shot the groves along Nogales Highway south of Sahuarita Road, including a photo of cars driving between the rows in April 2025. On a December weekday, that drive may be the closest look at the harvest most people will get this year.
Where the Morning Run Goes Instead
A cleared calendar on the first Saturday of November needs a new plan, and a few local options are already set:
- Man in the Maze Trails Park. The town lists public walking trails here. They don't go through the orchards, but they're an easy swap for a weekend loop.
- The Jingle Jog, December 5, 2026. Sahuarita Parks and Recreation is putting on a free 2K walk, jog or run at Man in the Maze Trails Park from 7 to 9 a.m. It's shorter than a 10K, but it brings back a holiday-season morning race in town.
- Green Valley Village Farmers & Artisans Market. It runs every Wednesday at Green Valley Village, with winter hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting October 7. The market describes itself as a place for local food businesses and growers, so it's worth checking for a pecan vendor.
What happens to the Orchard Run Series probably depends on the new owner, and FICO says its name will come out at closing. Once that happens, the next question is whether the gates open again for a spring race.
Got questions about what's changing around Sahuarita, from the orchards to the trails? I love talking about this town, and I'm happy to share what I'm seeing. Reach out to Katie Gibbons and let's connect.
