FRANKFORT, Ky. — While the Bluegrass State is known for many things agricultural, growing nuts is not one of them. There has been for a number of years, however, an organization dedicated to Kentucky nut growers – and its membership is surprising high.

Approximately 300 members make up the Kentucky Nut Growers Assoc. (KNGA), which has been in existence for at least 50 years.

 

 According to information from the group’s website, it was formed to “promote interest in nut-bearing trees; research in their breeding and culture; dissemination of educational material and information; and to encourage locating and reporting of promising seedling trees which may be adaptable to the regions represented by the membership.”

The site also states that Kentucky is well suited to grow a variety of nuts, including Northern pecans, black walnuts, heartnuts, hickory nuts, Carpathian walnuts, American hazelnuts and Chinese chestnuts. Members are also interested in growing pawpaws and persimmons.

One of the more popular nuts is the pecan. While many think of Georgia when it comes to pecans, Kentucky’s climate is good for Northern pecans, a smaller and oilier nut than its bigger cousin grown in places such as Georgia – and according to Danny Ganno, who serves as the KNGA president, it’s a tastier nut, as well.

He said there are a few commercial nut growers in the state, but by and large it is an industry of hobbyists.

“This organization is trying to promote the growing of pecan trees and other nuts. We have a lot of walnuts, including the black walnut,” he said. “We’ve tried to propagate the black walnut, trying to make it better. That’s what we’re all about; trying to make (the industry) better.”

Most growers have a combination of existing trees and ones they have planted, giving the industry a sort of diversity. Ganno, from Henderson County, has about 400 nut trees on his 20 acres and while he doesn’t sell any, he said there are commercial markets that will buy almost all nuts a producer can grow.

Through relationships with the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture and Kentucky State University, the KNGA has been able to provide valuable information to members, especially through its regular meetings.

Last weekend, members gathered at the Marion County extension office for their spring meeting. Ganno said there was a good turnout that saw exchanges of scion wood (cuttings from a certain or desired tree that it grafted onto another tree); walnuts, heartnuts and pecans for tasting; and an auction that included grafted nut trees, pawpaw trees, persimmon trees, tomato plants, garlic plants, various flowers and flowering bushes and plants. There was also a grafting demonstration.

UK extension fruit and vegetable specialist John Strang said while the industry here is made up mostly of hobbyists, they would like to get their products into smaller retail venues such as farmers’ markets.

Kentucky seems to be doing a good job in the nut industry and this summer, a group from outside the state will get a firsthand look. Kentucky will play host to the Northern Nut Growers Assoc. (NNGA) July 22-25 at UK and the KSU Research Farm. This will mark the 103rd meeting of the NNGA.

Strang said there will be on-campus lodging, informative sessions and tours around the area, including both UK and KSU’s research facilities, a local vineyard and a local distillery, to name a few. He expects 75-100 people to attend.

To learn more about KNGA go to www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/knga.htm and for more information about NNGA, go to www.nutgrowing.org