Hazelnuts add flavor to a morning cup of coffee, but the nut also has potential to be a source of diversity for Nebraska producers, adding value to the state’s crop, livestock, biofuel, and food industries.

The Nebraska Forest Service (NFS), under the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, is leading this effort. NFS Director John Erixson and his team study ways to commercially produce hazelnuts in Nebraska.

Hazelnut production, according to Erixson, can help rural Nebraskans generate additional revenue by diversifying crop operations, utilizing unproductive soils, and developing value-added food, feed and biofuel products.

“The work that we are doing with hazelnuts is on the leading edge of hazelnut production,” Erixson said.

This cutting-edge research may offer Nebraskans an opportunity to incorporate another crop in their operations to diversify their income.

Hazelnuts Add Diversity and Create Value

Hazelnuts are a $3.5 billion industry worldwide primarily used in chocolate, confectionaries, flour, and oil, Erixson said.

In the United States, Oregon produces 99% of the country’s hazelnut crop. However, Erixson and his team have identified the suitable growing conditions for hazelnuts and determined that Nebraskans could become substantial contributors to the nation’s hazelnut supply because of the state’s diverse soil profile.

For Nebraska, Erixson primarily focuses on developing a hazelnut hybrid that grows well in a wide range of soil types. This trait would allow the crop to grow in the sandy soils of western Nebraska to the rich clay soils of eastern Nebraska.

“We want to be able to use the hazelnut plant as a filler in those areas where hazelnuts would not naturally grow or use those soils that are not as productive as others,” Erixson said. 

In addition to utilizing less-productive soil, hazelnuts can benefit Nebraskans in another way: the nuts produce more oil than soybeans.

For example, Erixson said hazelnuts produce about 125 gallons of oil per acre, whereas soybeans produce 90 gallons per acre. With more available oil, scientists are finding ways to use hazelnut oil in biodiesel and expanding the value-added opportunities for hazelnut producers.

Hazelnut oil provides another benefit as it gels at a lower rate than soybean oil, Erixson said. This would allow biodiesel users to gain more use of hazelnut biodiesel in the winter months versus soy biodiesel.

Hazelnuts in Nebraska

There are important market challenges for hazelnuts despite research to expand commercial hazelnut production in Nebraska, according to Erixson.

First, Erixson said the plant takes four to five years to produce nuts once it is planted. However, once it begins nut production, the plant can produce nuts for 40 to 50 years.

In addition, there are currently no bulk processing facilities for hazelnuts or hazelnut oil in Nebraska, nor are there equipment or implement dealers to supply growers with the necessary tools for commercial hazelnut production.

“There are some potential advantages for hazelnuts,” Erixson said. “We currently have the infrastructure to create biodiesel out of soybeans. Not all those pieces are in place just yet for hazelnuts, but we are working with the university’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering to see what it is going to take to do that.”

Despite the demand for, and shortage of, hazelnuts, the plants are not readily available for commercial planting yet. Erixson said the short-term goal is to encourage backyard and hobby farmers to experiment with hazelnut production as an added commodity and source of income for Nebraska’s producers. 

“Whether it is the hobby farmer or the backyard farmer, all production can happen today,” Erixson said. 

In the next five years, Erixson expects to see hazelnut plants available for large-scale production, nuts, and confectionaries sold at local farmer’s markets, and hazelnut oil researched for biodiesel development.

“If we work together, we can develop this crop over time and have an alternative crop for the Midwest - and for the Great Plains – where people can diversify their operations,” Erixson said.

On-Farm Consortium Research

Erixson’s research team – started by former NFS director Scott Josiah nearly 20 years ago – is part of the Hazelnut Hybrid Consortium. The consortium is comprised of the NFS, the Arbor Day Foundation, Oregon State University, and Rutgers University. Each member of the consortium plays an integral role in developing hazelnut hybrids to increase production across the United States.

In addition to creating a hazelnut hybrid producing larger nuts and higher yields, the consortium is also focused on creating a hybrid that is resistant to Eastern Filbert blight, a fungus that grows on hazelnuts.

“We are trying to mix the two hazelnuts breeds – European and American – to come up with not only a nut that is resistant to the blight but also one that grows in the Great Plains that can provide an opportunity for others to raise hazelnuts,” Erixson said. 

The consortium recently secured a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in plant testing, Erixson said. Advancing from the first concept of crossing hazelnut plants to actually producing productive plants is a 15-year process. The grant enabled the consortium to expand research into Nebraska. 

On-farm consortium research is conducted at Horning Farms near Plattsmouth, Nebraska, to test the disease resistance, nut size and shape, and yield. The best hazelnut plants are selected, put into tissue cultures, and cloned at the university to create more plants.