Each month, KHC features one of the Council’s member organizations to highlight how these groups support horticulture in Kentucky. This month we are featuring The Kentucky Nut Growers Association (KNGA). KNGA is a non-profit organization that promotes curiosity of nut bearing trees and their propagation. The group is made up of a number of growers and researchers with a lifetime of experience between them cultivating and breeding nut and fruit trees in Kentucky. They are dedicated to identifying and locating promising seedling trees that can be adapted to our climate. Members exchange educational information, growing techniques, and plant material.
KNGA was formed in the spring of 1960 at a meeting of the Indiana Nut Growers Association at the farm of Ford Wilkinson. Among the charter members was W.D. Armstrong, the first research scientist to be headquartered at the University of Kentucky Princeton Experiment Station. Other charter members included Mr. Tubby McGill, Extension Service, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rice of Hickman, KY, Mr. Makin of Tiptonville, TN, Mr. Henry Converse of Henderson, KY, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Vannoy, Mr. and Mrs. Ch. Collier, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Morrill, and Mr. Boynton Merrill.
Members receive twice yearly newsletters and are invited to attend two annual meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for October 15th at the Kentucky State University Research and Demonstration Farm in Frankfort. This will be the first meeting since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic! Member meetings are casual gatherings with a pot-luck luncheon and informal presentations, scion wood exchange and sometimes a fundraising auction with donated plant materials from supporting local nurseries and members. Many of the KNGA members are tree fruit experts and enthusiasts as well so it’s not uncommon to find an exchange of fruit tree scion and growing knowledge at these meetings as well!
Anyone with an interest in nut bearing trees is welcome to join KNGA- even if you do not reside in Kentucky or currently grow nut trees! For those interested in growing fruit and nut trees, membership provides an opportunity to network with and learn from members willing to share their many years of experience. To become a member, you may send an application including your name, mailing address, and email address to the KNGA treasurer, Douglas Hines, at 679 Townsend Valley Road, Paris, KY 40361. Annual dues are $5.00 with membership renewals beginning on January 1st of each year.
Follow KNGA on Facebook to stay in touch!