Second Annual Growth Project meeting Success

In November, we held our second annual Growth Project meeting. We had an increased attendance and growers enjoyed presentations put on by industry leaders. Topics included organic hazelnut production, hazelnut irrigation, the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, and a panel of growers that discussed orchard management.

Our CFO, Michael Severeid, gave presentations on the current market and the pros and cons of

organic farming. He manages several organic orchards to meet an increasing demand for organic hazelnuts.

This last summer raised a lot of questions about irrigation, especially for young trees. Representatives from Ernst Irrigation and Stettler Supply talked about efficient ways to water trees.

The Hazelnut Marketing Board’s Mike Klein presented the newly designed industry logo and website. It’ll have a more retro look and will be up late winter.

Oregon State University’s new hazelnut extension agent, Nick Wiman, spoke about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. He showed how to identify the stinkbug and presented control measures and research to prevent further orchard damage and spreading.

Rich Birkemeier, Ben Mitchell, and Verl Holden participated on a panel lead by David Smith. The panel discussed methods and discoveries about varieties they preferred, collars and tubing on new trees, pollinizers, and orchard design. We were very fortunate these industry leaders came together on our stage.

We deliver information to our growers to give them an edge in the increasingly competitive farming environment. We were very pleased with our annual meeting and are excited for our third in 2016.