Madsen

Duane and I looked forward so much to attending the week-end in MN and hearing from possibly the world's top expert in Hardy Hazelnut Trees. We had a lot of fun finding the place because we had never seen this part of the country and it is GORGEOUS !!!

The dorms where we stayed were great. The people were truly fascinating because they actually walk the agricultural walk whereas we are retired and trying to do it for fun. It was very educational for us because we are beginners. One of the fun slides was where they showed the rows of fledgling hazelnuts and it was a hedge of weeds. It was said that if you leave the weeds there the predators will have a buffet of delicious things to eat and not just have the hazelnuts exposed as if to say, "Come and eat me". During one of these slides someone who lives on an Indian Reservation piped up and said, "What do you mean these are weeds? Where we live, we eat these plants every day."

I will never forget this.
...
As for the presentations: They were just awesome. The teacher was fabulous as was his dear wife. Every slide was new and educational to us. We will come again one day when we can stay the extra day for the tour of the actual plantings."

-Erlyn Madsen, Utah Grower. 2007 Short Course Attendee