Kevin,

I've relatives in Illinois, near Waterloo, but have only flown over Missouri in a small plane and looked across the Mississippi at it ...and listened to my cousins jokes... So it's difficult to recommend anything specific to your climate. But having established an orchard in the rural's I'll make some suggestions.

I'd search for the best local Nursery you can find. Mail order has actually worked best for me - because instead of 4 miss-marked trees, I've only received one wrongly marked tree from a mail order place. And 8 years later they were still in business and sent me a replacement. But that's a major setback! You research varieties (or cultivars) that will pollinate each other, then sloppily handled trees leave you guessing at what you've got? And to go back 4 or 5 years later (each of my 'favorite Nursery's' had become High-Tec Fabs) with the receipt will get you a 'replacement tree' - you think? ...Makes me angry just thinking about it...

I would research susceptibility to local diseases; fruiting consistency; what others in that area have planted; hardiness, and plant 'the basics' first; then venture into the more exotic when you have the time. That plan worked well for me; my oldest and most highly productive trees are solid longtime producers in this area and I can always count on them. And, I have my 'playthings' as well!

I was about to ask if you have deer ... but planting fruit trees seem to 'grow' deer as well! So... your trees will have to be behind a well maintained and fairly high deer-fence. Or, as I did with mine, individually fenced. I'd use 4 steel fence posts wrapped with 'chicken wire.' You don't need it forever, but you generally need something.

And how's your soil? Mine's great in 'the dips' and poor on the 'knobs.' Thus, "Semi-dwarf" fruit trees can take forever to amount to much on poor soil. Or you can call them "Micro-dwarfs!" If your soils iffy, but you have the room and plan to prune yearly, I'd plant trees very close to Standard, or 'full sized.' I've Standard Gravenstein Apple trees that would easily become the size of a house if allowed -- but yearly pruning (I like to prune!), I can allow them to enlarge at only one bud at a time. Dwarfing trees may be fine for city lots, but with room, I'd rather have the option of 'more tree' if desired.

Random thoughts: If you've got gophers you'll want to keep them on the run; and I wouldn't advise poison, it also kills Hawks and Owls feeding on the dieing gophs. Plan to water them for the first 'few' years; you may get soaking summer rains, we don't. Space them well apart. It's a forever-hassle working within tightly bunched trees, and unnecessary with surrounding acreage. Clump varieties; pears with pears, plums with plums... for better pollination. And for 'better pollination,' research 'bloom-times.' I've seen many conflicting pollination charts, but bloom times will at least be consistent among them. But if their flowers aren't open at the same time they won't pollinate.

As for the honey bees, I've done those too... Any bear?

And you should have native persimmon in the vicinity..? A friend gathered up seedlings like that (from 'back' there) then grafted Asian varieties to them; he now has an extremely productive persimmon stand. My Mother, from Illinois, loved the small 'astringent' natives, and after they turn to 'mush,' so do I. So I wouldn't forget Persimmons!

Hope this is helpful... I held off answering to give someone else a chance ... but hadn't forgotten your questions. If you have more, I'll be watching.

Viron

PS; here's what my place looks like - after 25 years: viewtopic.php?t=730