Hillside Orchards is a small family
owned farm started in 1836. My husband and I operate our business along with our
two daughters. We are now one of the largest chestnut
growers in the state of Michigan. We belong to the Chestnut Growers, Inc and Michigan
Nut Growers. These organizations promote growing, marketing, and product development.
We have fresh chestnuts,
peeled and frozen chestnuts, dried chestnuts, and also a Gluten Free chestnut flour.
We were one of the first in our area to use a sprayer that
uses a laser to measure the tree and spray the tree not the empty space. We use integrated pest
management and are environmentally verified with the State of Michigan. This is the Michigan Agriculture
Environmental Assurance Program, MAEAP. We keep our land, water, and air as healthy as the food we
produce. We use pruning and other practices to produce high quality good-tasting fruit. We use insect
pheromones and insect growth regulators and organic materials first. We use other materials second and only
the ones that are safe to people, safe to the environment, and are short-lived low leachibility, safe
to wildlife.
We only apply these materials late at night
or early morning to reduce drift. We also use buffer areas to prevent drift. We use
approximately half of the farm for production. The open land is allowed to rest for
several years to build up the soil. We have a five acre woodlot for wildlife. Brush piles
are allowed to dry one year to provide wildlife cover and food for the winter. Open fields
are not mowed until after pheasants have hatched and left the area. Through the Food Alliance, we are
certified sustainable.
In 1998, my husband Paul, was named
Conservation Farmer of the Year by the St Joseph River Conservation District. In 2002, Paul
was given the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship award for ground water protection practices
applied on the farm presented by the St Joseph River Conservation District.
My husband has an MBA from Western Michigan University and I have a
Masters in teaching also from Western Michigan University. My oldest daughter has a
MAT in teaching from Western Michigan University and my youngest has a BS in Finance from
Florida State University. We are full time farmers and our business stands by our
quality and customer service.
Hillside Orchards LLC and Hillside Chestnut Orchards LLC
is certified by the USDA in good agricultural practices.
Please note: we are not a U-Pick farm.
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