Among the trees are some black walnuts. Our land is well-suited for nut production. One particularly hilly portion of the farm would be perfect for a nut grove. I have been looking for a market for the black walnut, but Illinois does not have the well-established market that some states have for black walnuts. However, the more I look into other nuts, the more I am convinced that agroforestry may be an environmentally friendly way for our farm to produce an income for us.
Pecans are an excellent seller, already extremely popular with the public.
Northern pecans are stronger tasting than the more commercially familiar southern pecan. I like the taste of the northern pecan much better than the pecans generally available in the super market. There are pecan growers as far north as southern Nebraska, which is in USDA agricultural zone 5. Since we are also in USDA agricultural zone 5, we should be able to raise the hardier northern pecans. At an Illinois Specialty Growers conference this winter, I learned about university-sponsored research on pecan growing that is taking place in southern Illinois, which is one zone south of our farm.