Matthew Gillespie, Marketing & Innovation Manager Matthew Gillespie joins the HGO team with over 15 years in the Natural and Organic Food Industry, managing a category portfolio ranging from cold cereal and snacks to confection and frozen prepared meals. No stranger to working for agricultural cooperatives, Matt’s last position was with Oregon Cherry Growers where […]
As we approach harvest, hazelnut growers are busy cleaning up their orchard floors to achieve a smooth surface prior to nut fall. Flail mowing or scraping helps to reduce leaves, sticks and other detritus that makes up the majority of the cleaning fees at the wash station. Growers in rocky areas can either use specialized […]
The Deconnick family started their farming operation in 1953 in the French Prairie region South of St Paul, Oregon. Their farm in the early days mainly consisted of Kentucky bluegrass and wheat. As the years went on, they moved to perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, bentgrass, as well as clover. In 2009 they started planting hazelnuts […]
With just about a year in operation, we are busy planning for the new harvest year. The challenges of starting a plant with new equipment and a new team have given us a great list of lesson’s learned and are working through them to ensure that we improve our processes and increase efficiencies. Here at […]
Ryan Flaherty, Grower Relations Manager Ryan Flaherty comes to us with 18 years of experience in Ag Business. His most recent experience was at Diamond Foods out of northern California where he served the past 7 years as their Grower Services Manager. He is a great listener and problem solver and he will use these […]
Filbertworm is the most important insect pest for hazelnuts, resulting in significant losses if no control measures are taken. The old standard was to spray based on a calendar or growth stage. This generally works, but growers can easily over or under apply without monitoring. Over application is not only costly but can damage beneficial […]
We have some interesting global headlines to follow from the recent meeting of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Congress held in Boca Raton. First the good news, Global demand is on pace to increase at a steady 6.75% annual rate. The challenging news is that global supply is expected to increase 14% in the […]
Growers, I am proud to share with you, that HGO continues to take steps to achieve their goal in becoming the largest processor and marketer of value-added hazelnut products in North America. Recently, the HGO team, led by our new General Manager Greg Thorsgard, has accomplished some exciting things. In May, HGO achieved an SQF […]
Each year, Pacific Agricultural Survey provides data to the industry on the number of acres and age of hazelnut trees based on aerial imagery. This survey assists crop estimation efforts. It was determined that in 2018, planting continued at a rapid pace. The results show that 8,650 acres were planted in 2018 and 400 matured […]
We all know that the best hazelnuts in the world are grown right here in Oregon, but it is indeed a global commodity. Events on the other side of the world can have big impacts – both positive and negative on our business here at home. We monitor the global markets and news for hazelnuts […]
