Hazelnut Orchard
a system of many benefits
Silvopasture
Silvopasture is a grazing practice that has been used around the world for hundreds of years. It is the integration of trees, forage, and livestock. Its benefits include controlling soil erosion, provide livestock with shade and shelter, and enhances biodiversity by providing support to a wider range of plants, animals, and insects. Silvopasture systems can be created by thinning existing wooded areas or planting trees into pastures. Our system is made of nearly 100 trees planted in a 1.5 acre pasture.
Photo: Sheep rotational grazing in the orchard controlled with a solar energized three strand electric fence system.
tree selection
Hybrid Hazelnuts
The majority of hazelnuts for nut crops are grown in Turkey, Italy, the United States, Azerbaijan, and Chile. In the US, nearly all the hazelnuts are grown in Oregon. A hybrid hazelnut was developed for west coast production that was resistant to the Eastern Filbert Blight fungal disease. When brought to the east coast, the hybrid hazelnuts had reduced resistance due to a different strain of blight. Rutgers University spent over three decades developing a hazelnut suitable for the east coast. We are proud to be part of the first few years of production with the Rutgers cultivars.
Photo: Rutgers University, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
conditions and limitations
Orchard Design
The research staff at Rutgers University helped us develop an orchard plan that would support both tree pollination and pasture production. Since hazelnuts are wind pollinated, and we needed to exceed the recommended aisle spacing, strong pollinator cultivars needed to be strategically placed within the orchard rows. We have 32 feet of row separation for equipment consideration and required sunlight to grow pasture grasses once the trees are mature. This is much different than the typical 18 foot grid recommendation.
Photo: Field Day demonstration of the no-till drill equipment used to seed warm weather and cool weather forages.
rotational grazing
Tree Protection
Having a small farm means that every foot of space matters. Hybrid hazelnuts grow in tree shape, but take a few years to become mature in height and begin production. The pasture still needed to be used while the newly planted orchard grew, so we custom made cages that would allow the trees to grow, but could not be easily tipped over by the sheep and would protect them from being eaten or damaged for 2 to 3 years. They consist of concrete mesh wire and deer netting. Heavy mulching controls weeding, and the cages are removed, weeded, mulched and reset once a year each spring.
Photo: mesh cage wrapped in deer netting with sheep wool mulch inside the cage, and wood chip mulch outside the cage for weed control and moisture retention.