Michigan’s chestnut producers harvested a bumper crop this season. With commercial cultivars coming into bearing and the weather cooperating, chestnut harvest in Michigan is estimated to have doubled in 2016.
Chestnut acreage in the U.S. has increased substantially over the past 30 years with the largest acreages in Michigan and production forecast to continue to increase. Despite substantial growth of the industry, U.S. production still accounts for a very small portion of the market (less than 1 percent of total world production according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service).
The value of the chestnut is related to its size and nuts are primarily sold fresh in the shell. Michigan residents once again can benefit from the region’s agricultural diversity and may find chestnuts at local markets, particularly near the Lake Michigan shoreline where conditions for production are ideal.
Source: msue.msu.edu
