This article is about why we’re now seriously exploring expanding our hazelnut planting—and what you need to know if you’re considering the same.
Why Hazelnut Potential is Changing
In the central US, there is a native hazelnut – Corylus americana. This American hazelnut has cold hardiness and Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB) resistance. However, the American hazelnut doesn’t have the characteristics that make it easy to commercialize. Specifically – the nut is smaller, it has thicker shells, and nuts are not uniform in size.
The European hazelnut – Corylus avellana – has good kernel quality, but not the cold or EFB resistance. The main growing area in the US for the European hazelnut is the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Even though Oregon produces nearly all domestic hazelnuts in the US, the vast majority of hazelnuts consumed in the US are imported. So there is plenty of market space to expand production of hazelnuts – the barrier being the ability to grow the crop reliably.
European hazelnuts will grow in the eastern portion of the US, but eventually EFB will show and kill them. The EFB fungus is native to the eastern US. EFB causes cankers that girdle branches and kill the tree. The cold and EFB presence makes commercial hazelnut production with European hazelnuts virtually impossible in the eastern US.
There is big potential in crossing the European with the American hazelnut, conferring the kernel quality and high kernel yield of the European with the cold hardiness and EFB resistance of the American.
Enter the Rutgers University breeding program. For over 30 years, Dr. Thomas Molnar and his team have been working on producing a hazelnut with some European traits, and some American traits. The result is a suite of cultivars that combine disease resistance with nut quality that can compete in commercial markets.
The reason to pay attention now is that these varieties have been tested long enough to show they actually work in our climate. UMCA has active research trials evaluating how these Rutgers hybrids perform in Missouri conditions, and the early results are promising
.
The New Cultivar Lineup: What UMCA and Rutgers Are Learning
I attended the hazelnut workshop at UMCA Horticulture and Research Farm back in October. The presenters went deep into the characteristics of specific varieties and the plan for evaluating performance in our climate. Researchers stated there will be new varieties released within the next few years.
The standout varieties right now:
Production cultivars:
Raritan – Raritan is a Rutgers Univ. release from 2020, but it took a few years to become more widely available. This is a European hazelnut with strong EFB resistance. Nuts have good flavor and kernel percentage. Raritan is a medium to large tree.
Somerset – Another Rutgers Univ. release from 2020. Somerset is also a European hazelnut with EFB resistance. The nuts are large with good commercial appeal. Somerset’s bloom timing is later in the season. Somerset tends to have a more compact growth habit.
The Beast – This is a European x American cross. The Beast was the first cultivar released (2020) from the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium. This consortium includes Oregon State (OSU), Rutgers University, the Arbor Day Foundation, University of Nebraska Lincoln, and the University of Missouri (MU). The Beast produces vigorously, and is a good candidate for pollination, not necessarily for production. The Beast pollinates both Raritan and Somerset very well.
These are just three of the most promising varieties now. Beyond these three, there are additional varieties in the pipeline and under evaluation. According to Dr. Molnar, five new cultivars are due for release in 2026. The researchers at UMCA are testing them systematically to see which perform best in our climate. Some varieties that excel in New Jersey might behave differently here, and some Oregon varieties bred for the Pacific Northwest climate need evaluation before we know if they’re suitable for Missouri.
Here’s the critical piece: hazelnuts require cross-pollination. You need at least two varieties, and ideally three or more, with overlapping bloom times. A single variety, no matter how good, will give you disappointing yields. This is a big piece of why the release of new cultivars is so noteworthy – the new cultivars have varied bloom times – this highly increases pollination probability in a planting of mixed cultivars.
The breeding program is working on getting cultivars that: pollinate each other well, good nut size, high kernel percentage, good growth habit, close harvest timing, and EFB resistance.
What excites me most is that this knowledge base is growing rapidly. The UMCA trials will tell us more in the next few years about which variety combinations work best here. Farmers planting now are early adopters, but they’re early adopters with scientific backup, not just flying blind.
Real-World Economics and Scale
Hazelnuts recommended spacing layout is 18 feet x 20 feet. That’s considerably tighter than the 30 x 30 or 40 x 40 spacing chestnuts require. On one acre, you can fit roughly 120 hazelnut trees. We’re planning to start with a half-acre planting, which means approximately 60 trees. That’s enough to learn the system, test variety combinations, and potentially generate meaningful income once the planting matures, but it’s not so large that a mistake becomes catastrophic.
Here’s the financial reality as best I can estimate it right now:
Initial Investment for these new Rutgers hybrid cultivars runs somewhere between $20-40 per tree, depending on the source, size, and variety. For our 60-tree planting, that’s $1,200-2,400 just for the plants. Add site preparation, weed control fabric or mulch, irrigation for establishment (highly recommended), deer protection, and you’re looking at $2,000-4,000 total for a half-acre to get it in the ground properly.
Timeline to Production is the hard part. You might see a few nuts in year three or four, but don’t count on meaningful harvest until year five or six. Full production—the kind of yields that actually pay the bills—probably doesn’t arrive until year eight to ten.
Yield Expectations are still being established for these newer varieties in our region, but mature hazelnuts in well-managed orchards can produce 2,000-4,000 pounds per acre. The Oregon operations hit 3,000-4,000 pounds with excellent management. Let’s be conservative and assume 2,000 pounds per acre at maturity in Missouri. On our half-acre, that would be 1,000 pounds annually once we’re in full production.
Market Pricing is variable but generally runs $2-4 per pound wholesale for in-shell nuts, depending on size, quality, and whether you’ve got a direct buyer or you’re selling through an aggregator. Cleaned, shelled kernels command significantly higher prices, but then you’re looking at processing equipment and food safety certifications. Let’s assume $2.00 per pound wholesale in-shell as a realistic starting point. That puts the potential gross revenue at $2,000 annually per half-acre at full production.
Run those numbers against your establishment costs and the 8-10 year timeline, and you can see this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. But, once established, a well-managed hazelnut planting can produce for 40-50 years with relatively modest annual inputs. The labor requirement is front-loaded into establishment and pruning, with harvest being the main annual push. No annual planting, no annual tillage, and the trees are building soil and providing ecosystem services the whole time.
For context, annual maintenance costs after establishment are primarily pruning labor, weed management around young trees, and harvest labor. Some growers report spending 20-40 hours per acre annually on maintenance once trees are established, with harvest adding additional time depending on your system (hand-picking vs. mechanical sweeping).
The profitability math works if you’re thinking in decades, not seasons.
Planning Your Hazelnut Enterprise: Practical Considerations
If you’re seriously considering hazelnuts after reading this far, here’s what you need to think through:
Site Selection is non-negotiable on one point: full sun. Hazelnuts need full sun exposure to produce well. Plan accordingly. They’re adaptable to a range of soils as long as drainage is decent—they hate wet feet—but they’ll reward you for better sites with better production.
Choosing Varieties requires solving the pollination puzzle. You can’t just pick your favorite and plant a block of it. At minimum, you need two varieties with overlapping bloom times. Three or more is better, both for pollination reliability and for spreading your risk if one variety underperforms in your specific conditions. Based on what we learned at the workshop, a mix of The Beast, Raritan, and Somerset would give you good coverage of bloom times and growth habits. You might plant 60% of your trees in one main variety and split the remainder between two pollinizers, or go for a more even distribution if you’re still learning which will perform best on your land.
Sourcing Plants is something I’m actively researching right now. These new Rutgers hybrids aren’t as widely available as, say, apple trees. You can’t just walk into any nursery and find them. We’ve had good experiences with Forrest Keeling Nursery for other native plantings, and I’m investigating whether they or other specialized nurseries are propagating these specific cultivars. Quality matters enormously with these new varieties. You want certified, true-to-name plants from reputable sources, not generic “hazelnut seedlings” that may or may not have the traits you’re paying for.
Design Considerations for a small planting include thinking about access for maintenance and harvest, irrigation during establishment (the first two years are critical), and whether you’re integrating this with other crops. At 18 x 20 spacing, you’ve got room to mow between rows or potentially run livestock for weed control once the trees are established and tall enough. Some growers interplant with clover or low-growing forages. Others maintain clean cultivation for easier nut harvest.
Weed Management in the establishment years will make or break your success. Young hazelnut trees do not compete well with grass and weeds. Plan for weed fabric or herbicide spray. Budget the time and money for this—it’s not optional if you want the trees to thrive.
Wildlife Pressure is real, especially squirrels. Deer can browse young trees. Birds will take their share. You’re not going to stop all wildlife predation, but fencing during establishment and accepting some loss at harvest is part of the equation.
The Challenges
I’d be doing you a disservice if I made this sound easier than it is, so here’s the reality check:
The researchers at UMCA are gathering data and updating recommendations as they go. What works beautifully in New Jersey might perform differently in Missouri, and what thrives in Columbia might struggle in the Bootheel. Your microclimate matters. Your soil matters. The specific variety combination you choose matters.
The cultivar landscape is evolving rapidly. New releases are coming. Performance data is being updated. The recommendation you get today might be refined in two years as more information comes in. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature of working with cutting-edge breeding, but it does mean some uncertainty.
Processing and marketing infrastructure for Midwest hazelnuts is still developing. Oregon has established systems: hullers, dryers, processors, buyers. We don’t have that yet at scale in Missouri. You might need to figure out your own processing or find creative marketing channels. Direct sales to consumers, local food systems, and value-added products are options, but they require additional work beyond just growing the nuts.
The time to payback is real. Ten years is a long time to wait for significant income. Your capital is locked up in the planting, and there’s always risk that something goes wrong—an unexpected disease, a late freeze that wipes out a year’s bloom, or market conditions that shift. This is not a crop for someone who needs quick returns or who’s not genuinely committed to long-term land stewardship.
This is not a “plant and forget” crop. Hazelnuts need pruning for optimal production. They need annual attention to keep the orchard functional. The nut harvest doesn’t happen by itself. If you’re looking for something you can ignore for five years and then show up to collect checks, this isn’t it.
That said, compared to annual row crops or intensive vegetable production, the labor load is manageable. And compared to the environmental impact of conventional agriculture, a perennial nut crop is remarkably gentle on the land. You’re building soil, sequestering carbon, providing habitat, and producing food. That’s worth something beyond the dollar return, at least to me.
Our Path Forward (and Why We’re Proceeding)
So why are we moving ahead with a half-acre hazelnut planting despite all these caveats?
First, the research backing is solid. UMCA’s trials give us confidence that these varieties can work here. The Rutgers breeding program has decades of rigorous science behind it. We’re not gambling on somebody’s backyard experiment—we’re building on proven genetics.
Second, the market opportunity is real. The U.S. will continue importing hazelnuts until domestic production scales up. Being an early adopter in the Midwest positions us well as infrastructure develops and demand for local nuts grows.
Third, hazelnuts fit our broader agroforestry strategy. We’re not trying to build a monoculture nut empire. We’re diversifying income streams across chestnuts, pecans, walnuts, elderberries, and hazelnuts. The long-term production window aligns with our approach to land stewardship.
Our plan is to establish that half-acre planting in the next year or two with either a mix of The Beast, Raritan, and Somerset, or a mix of those three also with some of the new cultivars that are coming online. We’ll watch the UMCA trials closely for updates on variety performance and management recommendations. We’ll document what works and what doesn’t. And in eight to ten years, with luck and decent management, we’ll be harvesting Missouri-grown hazelnuts while the knowledge base for this crop continues to expand.
If you’re considering hazelnuts for your operation, here’s my advice: Start small enough to learn without betting the farm. Pick proven varieties with EFB resistance. Plan for the long term. Connect with UMCA and other researchers who can share current best practices. And recognize that you’re pioneering—there will be challenges, but there’s also genuine potential for farmers willing to think in decades rather than seasons.
For more information on hazelnut varieties and research, contact the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry. The Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Farm in New Franklin, Missouri, hosts field days and workshops for farmers interested in learning more about tree crops and agroforestry systems.
Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use or would use on my own farm. Read my full disclosure policy.