As we continue planning our black walnut operation — with half an acre dedicated to nut production and half an acre set aside for timber — the timber side is likely going to be Purdue HTIRC Timber Select seedlings and Purdue #1 seedlings, but which cultivar should we plant on the nut production side? After looking into what’s currently available, one option has become much more interesting to us: UMCA® ‘Hickman’, a new patented black walnut cultivar developed specifically for orchard nut production. Here’s a closer look at what it is, what makes it special, and whether it could be the right choice for us.
What Is the ‘Hickman’ Cultivar?
‘Hickman’ was developed by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) after nearly three decades of research. Scientists began curating nut-producing eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) cultivars in 1996, and the first breeding generation was established in 2002. Today the program includes over 2,100 progeny trees from 35 families, making this one of the most rigorous black walnut improvement programs in the country.
The cultivar was recently awarded a plant patent — a first within the black walnut species for kernel production — and is now being brought to commercial availability through licensed nurseries. The name itself is a nod to the historic Hickman House (built 1819) on the Center’s Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Farm in New Franklin, Missouri.
Why Was It Bred? The Problem It Solves
Wild black walnuts present real challenges for anyone trying to run a consistent, profitable nut operation. They are a masting species, meaning production swings dramatically from year to year. Even in good years, nut size and kernel quality vary widely from tree to tree, creating headaches at the processing stage and unpredictable pricing.
On top of all that, wild trees can take 10 to 15 years before they begin bearing nuts — a long wait for anyone trying to build a business. The ‘Hickman’ cultivar was bred specifically to address these pain points, making it well suited to orchard-style production rather than wild-harvest models.
‘Hickman’ Key Characteristics
Here are the traits that make ‘Hickman’ stand out from both wild trees and other available cultivars:
- Early bearing: ‘Hickman’ has been recorded bearing nuts at just five years old — the earliest ever observed in the species. Compare that to 10–15 years for wild trees. For our planting, this means we could start seeing a return on investment much sooner than we would with unimproved stock.
- High kernel percentage: Wild black walnuts typically yield only 10–14% kernel by weight. ‘Hickman’ reaches 30–40% kernel percentage depending on rainfall conditions, with an average kernel weight of 5.1 grams. That’s a dramatic improvement and means far more usable nut per pound harvested.
- Spur-bearing habit: ‘Hickman’ produces nuts on short, compacted spur branches (4–12 inches long) along primary limbs, similar to how apples fruit. This trait is closely tied to its precocious bearing and drives its high yield potential, especially early in the tree’s life.
- High yield: ‘Hickman’ is the highest-yielding tree among the 120 seedlings from the 2002 breeding generation. As it matures, yields are comparable to other strong-performing cultivars like ‘Sparrow’ and ‘Neel’, and exceed typical yields of ‘Football’.
- Alternate bearing tendency: Like many high-yield trees, ‘Hickman’ can show some alternate bearing (heavier crop one year, lighter the next). However, this tendency can be minimized with proper management, and average yields still outperform the most consistently bearing alternative selections.
How Does It Fit Our Planning?
Our nut production planting is designed around exactly what ‘Hickman’ was built for: an orchard model focused on quality nut yield rather than timber. The half acre dedicated to nut production could be well served by a high-performing cultivar like ‘Hickman’, and planting it alongside one or two complementary cultivars for cross-pollination and to spread the harvest window.
It’s also worth noting that ‘Hickman’ fits naturally into agroforestry design thinking. The UMCA team notes that producing tree nuts in mixed-species configurations (such as alley cropping) can generate annual income while building long-term land value — a philosophy that aligns well with how we’re approaching our overall property plan with both nut and timber goals in mind.
Market Considerations
One of the most important practical questions for any nut planting is: who buys the nuts? Currently, Hammons Products Company in Stockton, Missouri is the only large-scale commercial black walnut processor in the country. They operate roughly 196 buying stations across the Midwest and purchase from both wild trees and improved cultivar orchards. For orchard-grown improved cultivars like ‘Hickman’, they pay a premium of $0.50 to $1.20 per pound in-shell over standard wild-harvest prices.
For those who want to go the direct-to-consumer route, cracked or cleaned black walnut kernels can command $10 to $20 per pound — a significant premium over wholesale. Given ‘Hickman’s’ superior kernel percentage, direct-to-consumer sales could be an especially attractive option as the operation matures.
Availability and Where to Get Trees
‘Hickman’ is a newly patented cultivar, so availability is still ramping up. Forrest Keeling Nursery has been announced as an early licensed provider of grafted ‘Hickman’ plants, with additional licensed nurseries expected to follow. The University of Missouri is also working to scale supply through micropropagation (tissue culture), which should increase availability over the coming years.
Anyone interested in sourcing ‘Hickman’ trees can contact the Center for Agroforestry at [email protected] for the most current information on availability and nursery sources.
Our Verdict
Based on everything we’ve read, ‘Hickman’ looks like one of the most promising options for our nut production plot. Its combination of early bearing, dramatically improved kernel percentage, high spur-bearing yield, and backing by nearly 30 years of university research make it a compelling choice. The main caveat is that it’s newly patented and supply is still limited, so securing enough trees for our planting may take some lead time and planning.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on nursery availability and will update as we learn more. If you’re considering a black walnut nut planting of your own, ‘Hickman’ is absolutely worth looking into — it may well represent the future of commercial black walnut nut production in the Midwest.
Sources: University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry
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