How Does Your Hazelnut Yield Compare?

Could sharing a little information help us all become better growers?
One of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand’s hazelnut industry is productivity. Whiteheart, our most widely planted variety, is not a particularly high-yielding cultivar. However, there are considerable differences in the yields achieved by individual growers. The question is: why, and what can we learn from those who are achieving better results?

Other horticultural industries have demonstrated the value of benchmarking. New Zealand’s apple industry, for example, has used comparisons between orchards to identify differences in productivity and investigate the management practices behind them. In Australia, the apple and pear industry has operated a benchmarking programme for more than 15 years, helping growers understand their performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

The principle is simple. If we know what others are achieving, we have a better understanding of what might be possible on our own orchards.

Benchmarking isn’t about identifying winners and losers. It is about learning. Why does one orchard consistently produce more than another? Is it pruning, irrigation, nutrition, pollination, tree spacing, or something else? Are some growers achieving substantially better yields from Whiteheart, despite its recognised limitations? Without reliable information, we are largely guessing.

HGANZ wants to start building that information.
We have had harvest surveys in the past, but some growers are reluctant to participate. We are proposing another annual survey of growers, from the most recent harvest. We want to establish the range of yields being achieved across the industry, particularly for Whiteheart, expressed in kilograms per tree and kilograms per hectare.

We recognise that some growers are reluctant to share production information. That is understandable. However, the intention is not to publish individual orchard results or identify growers. Information will be treated confidentially, with results reported in an aggregated, anonymous form. Even a relatively simple survey could provide valuable insights. Over time, we could build on this information to understand the management practices associated with better yields and track whether our industry is making progress.

The benefits extend beyond individual growers. Better production data will help HGANZ identify research priorities, support industry development and demonstrate the potential of commercial hazelnut production in New Zealand.

We can all benefit from knowing what good performance looks like.
When the survey is circulated, we encourage every grower to participate, regardless of whether their last harvest was good, bad or somewhere in between. Every response helps build a more accurate picture of our industry. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.