"I was told by Horticulture NZ that trees have to produce more than 200 nuts to make a commercially viable crop. At a recent field day with MPI and Hort NZ my trees were estimated as carrying about 250 nuts. Afterwards I decided to get a tarpaulin out, knock the nuts down and physically count them.
"I wasted a whole weekend but found out I had trees bearing 400 and 500 nuts. It looks like we can grow them here in Central Hawke's Bay easily."
For the past two years Tony has been part of a Plant & Food Research feasibility study to see if almonds can indeed be grown sustainably in Hawke's Bay.
The project has backing from central and local government, alongside Picot Productions Limited - Kiwi producers of the Pic's brand nut spreads. MPI is investing $67,000 through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures) in the $100,000 project.
Steve Penno, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director of investment programmes, said the goal is to provide diversification opportunities for local dry stock farmers rather than trying to replicate the large-scale almond mono crop system of California.
"The first step is to see whether we can successfully produce almonds with a low carbon footprint at scale and for a competitive price. Ideally farmers will be able to set aside some land for growing almonds, as a way of diversifying and deriving better value from their land."
Tony says we would definitely have to grow differently than is done in California, which is where almost all the almonds consumed in New Zealand are produced.
"Almonds have a reputation as a greedy, water-sucking crop. And yes, the way they are grown in raised beds on bare soil in the California sun they are.
"I have tried to find a way to grow them more sustainably and found building up organic matter in the soil to retain moisture as well as mole draining at 1.5m is working. Almonds love heat and can't handle wet feet - I lost two trees by planting them next to a leaking trough - but apart from that they are hard to kill. They can be something farmers can plant, then forget about until harvest."
Hawke's Bay is proving to be ideal for the tree crop, as Northland lacks the necessary chill factor and the South Island has too many late frosts.
The flowering season is also early, providing food for bees when it is in otherwise short supply.
As his enthusiasm for the project grew Tony took a two-week business course, part of which required him to make and market a product.
"I picked and shelled some nuts, then borrowed the organic nut butter machine at Napier's Hapi cafe. The resulting nut butter didn't look particularly appealing but when I offered tastings at a pop-up shop the jars sold out at $20 each. It just showed how good the taste is.
"The almonds that come from California by ship could be six months old by the time we eat them and the flavour is nothing like the fresh product.
"We eat millions of dollars worth of imported almonds: whole, in muesli bars, breakfast cereals, as flour, nut milk... imagine if all that imported product could be replaced by sustainably grown Hawke's Bay produce."
Steve Penno says developing high-value sustainable products is central to the Government's Fit for a Better World roadmap for the food and fibre sector, which aims to boost sustainability, productivity and jobs over 10 years.
"We'd love to see almonds added to the list of high-value products New Zealand has to offer. The potential for the project to lead to economic and social benefits for Hawke's Bay landowners, farmers, iwi, and rural communities is enormous. So we thought 'why not give it a crack?'"
In addition to the MPI funding, further cash and in-kind contributions totalling $33,000 are being provided by Central Hawke's Bay District Council, Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Wairoa District Council, Hastings District Council, and Picot Productions Limited.
AgFirst will undertake a financial analysis as part of the project. They will consider the economics of setting up a profitable almond orchard system - factoring in market prices, climatic volatility, and environmental sustainability challenges.
Central Hawke's Bay District Council mayor Alex Walker says the aims of the project fit well with the council's economic development strategy.
"We grow great food in Central Hawke's Bay and it's initiatives like this that will continue to inspire our vision of a thriving future and a prosperous economy. All our farmers are looking for ways to minimise their nutrient, water, and carbon footprints and diversify incomes, so this project is an exciting addition to our district."
When the results of the feasibility study are released Tony Kuklinsky is hoping it will open opportunities in Hawke's Bay: "a chance for land diversification, job creation - a whole new industry based in Hawke's Bay and centred around CHB."
