Growers in Oregon growers are looking at a second consecutive record crop in 2026 as new orchards have reached peak production. Combined with strong grower prices, there is increasing international demand fueling optimism.
The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) September 2026 Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, has preliminary estimates from the Hazelnut Marketing Board’s Subjective Yield Survey projecting Oregon’s 2026 crop at approximately 143,720 tons, in-shell. If realized, production would surpass the previous record set in 2025.
The Beaver State harvests hazelnuts during September and October.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will publish official utilized production figures in its Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts 2026 Summary in May 2027, the report notes.
The back-to-back record crops come on the heels of Oregon’s orchard expansion. Between 2016 and 2018, growers planted an average of approximately 10,000 additional acres of hazelnuts annually, according to the USDA report.
Hazelnut trees typically require four to five years after planting to reach commercial bearing age. Yields then increase as orchards mature, with trees generally reaching full productive capacity at approximately 10 to 12 years.
As a result, orchards established during the 2016/18 planting expansion are now entering their peak production years, adding to Oregon’s overall productive capacity. The expansion also reached another milestone last year.
“Hazelnut-bearing acreage reached 92,000 acres in 2025, an increase of five percent year over year from the previous record of 88,000 acres in 2024,” the report notes.
Yields followed the same direction, with Oregon producing 121,500 tons of in-shell hazelnuts. That represented a 26 percent increase over the previous record of 96,800 tons in 2024 and marked the first time US production exceeded 100,000 tons.
Hazelnuts are used as a snack food, in baking and desserts, and in breakfast cereals such as muesli. In confectionery, they are used to make praline, and also used in combination with chocolate for chocolate truffles and products such as chocolate bars and hazelnut cocoa spreads such as Nutella. They are also used in Frangelico liqueur.[2] Hazelnut oil, pressed from hazelnuts, is strongly flavored and high in monounsaturated fat. It is used as a cooking oil and as a salad or vegetable dressing.
In 2023, Turkey was the world’s largest producer of hazelnuts, accounting for 57.7% of total production.