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AGM Field Trips 2010

Les McCracken

HGA newsletter July 2010

Field trips were held in South Canterbury in association with the AGM. On Saturday, about 50 people attended a field-day at Linda and Les McCracken’s orchard at Ashburton where the focus was on harvesting tools. This included a demonstration of the Italian harvester imported by Les and Linda earlier this year, as well as a sweeper designed and manufactured in Oamaru for Tim and Judith Medlicott.
The McCrackens imported the Super Jolly 2800 after seeing it while at the Hazelnut Congress in Italy in 2008. The complete unit cost approximately $29000 including freight. It uses mechanical pickup, rather than suction, to avoid blockages, and screens out soil and trash. A key advantage for the McCrackens is that the unit can be operated by one person.

AGM report 2010

By Sarah Shore

HGA newsletter July 2010

The 2010 Annual General Meeting of the Hazelnut Growers’ Association was held on 3 June 2010 at Ashburton and attended by about 60 members.

In addition to the President’s Report (see above), Murray Redpath delivered a presentation on issues facing growers and the industry as a whole. This sparked an extensive discussion on the role of HGA and the future of the organisation and the industry. Key questions were:

• What is the role of HGANZ in developing the local industry, and how does that complement the activities of commercial enterprises?

• How can we make hazelnuts a viable crop for existing and potential new growers – focusing on a domestic or export market? If we target exports, which are our likely markets? (Bearing in mind that US growers now export most of their crop to Asia, particularly Hong Kong and Viet Nam.)

• What varieties would best support the selected growth strategy? (At present, new plantings are overwhelmingly Whiteheart, but US exports are mainly in-shell.)

Chairman’s report 2010

By Murray Redpath

Delivered to the HGA AGM, 3 June 2010

In late October I attended the annual conference of the Hazelnut Growers of Australia and gave a talk on “The Development of the NZ Hazelnut Industry”. I spent a few days before the conference staying with Basil and Jean Baldwin in central New South Wales. Basil and Jean visited Canterbury in 2006 and spoke at the HGANZ AGM. Basil is semi-retired but still does some work at the Charles Sturt University in Orange. One of his recently completed projects was a guide to the identification of hazelnut varieties grown in Australia.

International hazelnut quality characteristics

Niels Maness – Department of Horticulture, Oklahoma State University

HGA newsletter, June 2006

Quality Characteristics and Criteria

In-shell hazelnuts should be properly sized to meet the stated market type and should be properly filled with at least 50% of the shell cavity occupied by nutmeat. Shells should be free of cracks and noticeable mechanical injury, clean, brightly colored and coloring patterns should be characteristic of the stated variety. The pellicle should be smooth and devoid of husk attachments. Kernels should meet the stated market type, be free of any misshapen or underdeveloped kernels and be free of any shell or foreign material and off-odor, off-flavor or mold. Water content of kernels should not exceed 6% if shelled or 7% if in-shell, and the total water content of unshelled nuts should not exceed 10 to 12%. Size is specified with grade as a determinant of quality, and minimum sizes are used for specification of classes “Extra” and “Class I” in international trade. For in-shell markets, larger and particularly rounded types are preferred. Shelled markets accommodate both rounded and oblong types, and size preference is dependent on the intended end use.

Harvest musings

HGA newsletter 2005

A year’s worth of effort comes to an exciting but busy end as harvest is upon us. Like most things good, preparation is the key, as you never really know how it’s going to turn out until the very end.

Hazelnuts may start to fall in late February – early March with the majority fallen by the end of March. The colder nights, shorter days and warm midday temperatures in late summer cause the outer husks to swell (hot days) and then contract (cool nights) which eventually cause the nuts to drop. The leaves will also start to turn but should fall after the nuts. A bit of planning is often needed in order to get the nuts up off the ground before the leaves drop. Should the leaves begin dropping during the harvest, a leaf blower is a very useful tool.

Hazelnut product design

By Laura Brandt – Contributing Editor to ‘Food Product Design’ magazine

HGA newsletter, June 2004

Industry sources indicate that approximately 8% of the new products introduced over the last two years contain some type of nut. Besides adding visual appeal, nuts contribute texture and crunch, and their unique flavour profiles enhance many foods. As part of a well-balanced diet, nuts provide protein, minerals, vitamin E, fibre, unsaturated fatty acids and phyto-chemicals. The nutritional benefits include reduction of heart disease and certain cancers.