Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

Analyzing Production Costs of Organic Hazelnuts in Oregon

This project aims to improve the viability of organic hazelnut enterprises by helping producers better understand their production costs and improve financial decision-making. We were the lead producer in this professional + producer grant with Oregon Tilth and other growers the the Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective

University of Oregon - Hallett Lab

Our pigs spent autumn under the canopy of oaks and hazelnuts in constant pursuit of falling nuts. We did this to explore the potential for pigs to interrupt the life cycle of our hazelnut’s most feared (and effective) pest—Filbert Worm. These worms are native to Oregon and hatch as moths in early summer to lay their eggs near nuts before their hard shell has time to develop.
The worm burrows into the nut and eats the kernel all summer long before falling to the ground in October.

Tap into a Big Leaf Maple that is connected to a system that draws sap out of the tree with a pump when the sap flows during the cold weather.

Maple Water, or sap, straight out of the tree.

Big Leaf Maple Project with Oregon State University

The farm is involved in a project with Oregon State University that is exploring the viability of producing maple water & maple syrup from Big Leaf Maple in the Willamette Valley. Big Leaf Maple sap does not have as high of a sugar content as the traditional Sugar Maple from the Northeast, but they produce tons of maple water! When the season turns cold the taps start to flow. We have been collecting maple water from trees on the farm, but the project extends to multiple sites from Portland area to the surrounding Eugene area. Much of the maple water that is collected will be run through a reverse osmosis machine to make a more concentrated solution.