Pecan trees are ‘just cows that don’t walk’

Three years ago the Warriners moved interstate and swapped dairy cows for growing nuts, in an unlikely change of career paths.

Business principles learned in dairy farming have been applied to growing pecans by northern rivers NSW couple Geoff and Paula Warriner.

And while Geoff jokes that pecan trees are “just cows that don’t walk”, the journey from livestock producer to horticulturalist has not been for the faint hearted.

In three years of ownership, there’s been two floods and a steep rise in interest rates which have put pressure on the venture.

Yet they are forging ahead growing organic pecans with their eyes clearly on the prize of producing a line of nuts and nut products that stand out.

The move out of dairying was not planned. Geoff said they were milking cows on about 120ha at Poowong when two approaches were made to buy their country.

The temptation to try something new was too strong, so they swapped milking 350 cows for 5000 pecan trees at Richmond Hill in northern NSW, about an hour from the Gold Coast.

While they looked at macadamia and avocado operations, it was size, scale and opportunities that came with pecans that made that property and venture stand out.

Geoff and Paula Warriner. northern NSW pecan growers on how they have switched from dairy to pecan growing.

ORGANIC TREES

The organic operation is run across about 57ha – half of which is planted to the pecan trees which range in age from 14 to 50 years old, and the other half is grazing country.

Cattle are run most of the year in the pecan orchard, and only taken out for four months.

They serve the dual purpose of keeping the grass down, as well as adding organic fertiliser to the soil.

Geoff and Paula Warriner run cattle under their pecan trees.

But it’s not enough nutrients for the trees, which also have between 10 and 12 cubic metres of chicken manure per hectare spread each year, as well as a similar amount of compost.

“Pecan trees need nitrogen and potassium particulary, so we spread potassium sulphate in late spring and summer as well,” Geoff said.

The established orchard has the capacity to produce about 100 tonnes of pecans, or about 20 kilograms per tree, if the season and growing conditions are right.

But it’s been a wild introduction for the Warriners, who copped a 10-metre flood through their orchard just after they bought it and lost their first crop.

Last season was again particularly challenging due to persistent wet weather, which led to a significant crop loss.

It’s meant that Geoff has been forced to take an off-farm job for a few days a week after the run of bad luck but he still believes with “normal” weather, there are strong opportunities for the organic pecans they produce.

STANDING OUT

To that extent, the Warriners have developed their own brand to differentiate their organic pecans.

About 90 per cent of the pecans in Australia are produced from the one grower, and without an industry marketing body, they took promotion and sales into their own hands.

Richmond Hill Pecans now sells a range of products including pecans, pecan pieces, pecan flour, roasted pecans, activated pecans, pecan butter, pecan oil, and pecan wood for smoking meats.

Much of the equipment they needed for pecan value adding came with the operation, but they did outlay to buy an oil press to create a new line for the business.

Geoff said the health benefits of pecan oil, combined with its organic nature, meant it should be well received in the market.

Pecans have health benefits that the Warriners hope will become better known.

“It has heart health characteristics with 90 per cent unsaturated fat, so has 30 per cent less bad fats than olive oil, a smoke point of 470 degree Fahrenheit and it is good for skin care too,” he said.

“Our first press from the 2023 harvest received a bronze medal at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards.”

Their Richmond Hill products are for sale online as well, at local stores and Wild Things Food in Melbourne, and also go direct to bakeries, cafes and restaurants.

And while coy about the actual figures, Geoff said the effort with organic production and value adding was worth it financially.

“There is a considerable difference between the return from our nuts sold direct to market compared to those which are produced outside the organic system and sold straight to a processor,” he said.

“It also helps with cash flow – the monthly milk cheque is something you miss when you leave dairying and value-adding means there is cash flow through the year, rather than just at harvest.”

LEARNING NUTS

Geoff admits he’s still learning about growing pecans, but is keen to get the orchard into full production and lift efficiency.

The 20-metre high trees are hedged in August on a four-year cycle. The orchard is currently two years into this hedging programme and while harvest doesn’t require shorter trees there are benefits in reduced shading, less wind damage, increased water efficiency and foliar spray coverage as well as improved nut size.

Harvest is completed by mechanically shaking the trees for three to four seconds, and then a harvester picks up the nuts.

The trees can be irrigated, but the irrigation pump has barely been switched on since they arrived.

“We do have a 1350mm average rainfall, but what’s average these days,” Geoff said.

“We received 900mm in three days in February 2022.

“Pecan trees don’t mind wet feet, but they don’t love being under water.

“When you hear about a record flood, it’s usually only a couple of inches higher than the previous high but the one we copped when we first got here was two metres higher.”

There are also other issues that come from too much rain.

“The wet seasons contribute to fungal issues, so we will continue researching and testing organic-certified foliar sprays and soil microbes to combat disease pressure, with anthracnose and phytophthora are the main issues.”

Ironically, Geoff had never tasted pecans before he went to look at the property so Paula bought a bag of mixed nuts on the way so he could try them.

“I must say I had one and spat it out and said there was no way I was growing that if it tasted that bad,” he said.

“But when we looked at the use-by date, the bag was well past it.

“I’m now happy to report that pecans are not only nutritious but also delicious – who knew healthy food could taste this good.”