Attendees from a field day on Wednesday in Columbus Junction point out chestnuts. Field day host
Roger Smith has 16 years of chestnut growing experience. He led the group through the orchard's understory and discussed harvest, handling, storage and marketing.
In 2014, Roger created the Prairie Grove Chestnut Growers cooperative to give Midwest family farmers raising chestnuts a ready and reliable market. Last year, Roger bought, sorted, bagged and sold over 84,000 pounds of fresh chestnuts grown on over 60 orchards in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.