TOPEKA (KSNT) – Collectors of black walnuts in Kansas and neighboring states are reporting a poor harvest season as 2026 draws to a close.
Black walnut trees can be found in parts of eastern Kansas and are easily recognized for the large, green fruits they drop in the fall each year, according to the Kansas Forest Service (KFS). Each of these fruits consist of an outer shell, or hull, that surrounds a black walnut that people can collect for use in baking or to make some extra cash, while some animals rely on them as an important source of food before winter.
Black walnut collection sites across Kansas and other states offer people a chance to turn in their black walnuts for cash in the fall. Collectors like David Prescott in Burlingame then run the walnuts through ‘huller’ machines that remove the outer hull of the walnuts before sending them on to Hammons Products in Stockton, Missouri, for inclusion in various products.
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However, Prescott said 2026 has been especially difficult for black walnut collectors. His hulling station, set up in Burlingame, has seen far fewer visitors this year than usual.
“Very, very poor,” Prescott said when describing the black walnut season in 2026.
Black walnuts. (Getty Images)
Prescott said he estimates that he has only received about a fourth of the number of black walnuts he is used to gathering in a year from local collectors.
“In other words, I usually in the four-to-five-week period I end up with 50,000 pounds of walnuts,” Prescott said. “Now, I bet I don’t have 7,000 [pounds].”
Prescott said the poor harvest extends beyond northeast Kansas, with black walnut collectors in other states in similar situations. He said a two-day frost earlier this spring followed by a period of hot weather in June impacted many black walnut trees, resulting in them not producing any fruit or holding on to their fruits later than usual.
“Trees go into a defense mode and you don’t get anything,” Prescott said.
Prescott said he usually gets many visitors from the Topeka area each year, paying them a set amount of money per 100 pounds of black walnuts. He uses the leftover hulls for composting while sending the walnuts off to Hammons Products for processing.
Brian Hammons, CEO of Hammons Products, said in a press release that the black walnut harvest has overall been very slow, with many trees holding onto their fruits for longer than usual. He said the recent arrival of shorter days and cooler air finally prompted the trees to release their fruits.
“We have a lot of nuts still on the trees,” Hammons said.
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Hammons told 27 News that, in reaction to the slow harvest, his business extended its collection period for the walnuts to the end of November, three weeks later than usual. Additionally, his business increased the value of the black walnuts from $14 per 100-pounds to $16.
“The lateness of the fall weather with the nuts staying on the trees for much longer has slowed the harvest,” Hammons said.
Hammons Products has an extensive network of collection sites for black walnuts across 12 states in the Midwest. The business uses black walnuts in baked goods, ice cream, pantry staples, snacks, candy and more.
“The crop looks to be decent in much of Missouri, so activity should increase now that nuts are coming down,” said Jacob Basecke, president of Hammons Products. “We hope and pray that the weather cooperates so folks can get them in. There’s still time through the next 3-4 weeks, and a lot of people who love the ‘Bold Taste of the Ozarks’ in local Black Walnuts are counting on the harvest coming in.”
The extension of the collection period for black walnuts means hulling station operators like Prescott will continue to collect the walnuts through the end of November, offering people a chance to get outside and make some extra cash. Prescott said black walnut trees can be found in many places, including public areas like cemeteries and parks.
Prescott’s hulling station is located at 9209 West 177th St. in Burlingame. You can find a black walnut buying station near you by clicking here. More information about black walnuts and their uses can be found on the KFS’ website by clicking here.
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