10/24/2026
🌰 A Sad Announcement Regarding Our U-Pick Chestnut Season 🌰
It is with a heavy heart and a great deal of disappointment that we are announcing the **Immediate closure of our U-Pick chestnut orchards for the remainder of the 2026 season.**
Unfortunately, theft from our orchards has become an increasingly serious problem, and the events of this past week have pushed us to make this difficult decision. Within just 48 hours, we caught two separate individuals secretly harvesting and concealing chestnuts and pawpaw fruit in backpacks and personal bags, then loading them into their vehicles without paying. Each individual had more than $365 worth of stolen chestnuts and fruit in their vehicle.
Sadly, we know these are not isolated incidents. We have security cameras throughout multiple areas of our nursery and orchards, and we've observed similar behavior on numerous occasions, both this season and in previous years.
We shouldn't have to monitor our customers to ensure they're paying for what they harvest. We've always operated on the belief that people will do the right thing, and it's incredibly disheartening when that trust is taken advantage of.
This is a small, family-owned and operated business.
Many of the chestnut trees you're harvesting from were planted by my father and grandfather. My own children help pick up sticks after school to keep the orchard floors clean for our customers. We spend countless hours maintaining these orchards, developing new IPM methods to combat deer, chestnut weevils, gall wasps, and other pests, all with the goal of growing better chestnuts and pawpaws while providing an enjoyable experience for the people who visit our farm.
These orchards represent generations of hard work, care, and investment. We take tremendous pride in sharing them with our community. When someone steals from our orchards, they're not taking from some large corporation. They're taking directly from a family business that has spent decades growing these trees and making this experience possible.
Honestly, that's what makes this so disappointing.
🌳 Looking Ahead to Future U-Pick Seasons
If we decide to offer U-Pick chestnuts again next year, we will be implementing additional security measures and stricter policies, including:
• Nursery-provided buckets ONLY. All chestnuts must be collected in the buckets we provide.
• No backpacks, large tote bags, grocery bags, or other large personal bags will be permitted in the orchards. These items must remain in your vehicle. Small purses or clutches will be permitted for carrying personal belongings such as phones, wallets, and keys.
• Identification checks and signed waivers will be required before entering the orchards. We are also considering moving to an appointment-only U-Pick system.
• Theft will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to involve law enforcement and pursue prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law. Stealing from our orchards is a crime, regardless of the amount taken.
Unfortunately, U-Pick prices will also be increasing if we reopen next year.
With the rising costs of labor, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, and general orchard maintenance, we've worked hard to keep our U-Pick chestnuts affordable. In fact, despite the significant increase in food prices everywhere, we have not raised our U-Pick chestnut prices since 2023.
We were proud to be able to offer that affordability to our customers.
However, with the additional costs of staffing and security now necessary to monitor theft, maintaining our current pricing is no longer sustainable.
It's unfortunate that the actions of a few individuals are affecting the experience for everyone else, but we have to protect our farm, our employees, and our family's livelihood.
🌰 Fresh Chestnuts Are Still Available!
Chestnuts will also be available for online ordering through our state co-op Chestnut Growers, Inc. once their online store opens for the season(1-2 weeks). The harvest is still being processed, and online sales will begin soon. 🌐 https://chestnutgrowersinc.com
❤️ And Finally, to Our Wonderful Customers...
For the hundreds of families who have spent a beautiful fall afternoon picking chestnuts, sharing stories, enjoying the farm, and playing with the cats and dogs around the nursery over the past decade - We Thank You from the bottom of our hearts.
One of the greatest joys of offering U-Pick has been meeting people from all walks of life who share a common love of chestnuts, pawpaws, family, agriculture, and the outdoors.
We have welcomed visitors from all across Michigan, throughout the United States, and from around the globe. This year alone, we've had customers from at least five different states and representing at least 16 different nationalities! It's pretty incredible to think that a small, 200-acre family farm in mid-Michigan can become a destination for such a diverse, global community.
That's something we're genuinely proud of, and it's one of the reasons we love doing what we do.
To the overwhelming majority of our customers who have supported us, respected our property, and enjoyed our orchards responsibly over the years: Thank you.
We're sorry that the actions of a few have brought this year's U-Pick season to an early end.
We love sharing our farm and the fruits of our family's labor with all of you. Our sincere hope is that we can continue doing so for generations to come. But that only works when everyone treats our family, our employees, and our property with honesty and respect.
Thank you for your understanding, your kindness, and your continued support.
-Jon Nash & the Entire Nash Nurseries Family 🌳
