Wisconsin, Upper Midwest Look To Crack Into Commercial Hazelnut Production

Some nuts might be tough to crack, but Ariadna Chediack has the right tools at her disposal.

Chediack, an agricultural research assistant with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, pours a container full of hazelnuts into a machine called "the cracker." The nuts fall through a funnel from above down to a drill Chediack uses to crack the hazelnut shells. From there, pieces of the shell and the kernels fall onto a vibrating metal tray. Then, the kernels drop into a large plastic container while remnants of the shell are sucked away into an aspirator.

The nuts are being processed at the Northland College Hulings Rice Food Center in Ashland...

...Wyse added hazelnuts also offer environmental benefits including complete soil cover and excellent nutrient management with no erosion...