Its maker admits it's not the most appealing of names, but horseradish is a big business, especially in western Wisconsin. Every year, more than six million pounds of horseradish is pulled from the Chippewa Valley and right now it's harvest time.

When crews work the fields, many of them are reminded that when it comes to their family history, the root goes much deeper than a couple feet into the soil.

As Gary Prissel eases this $300,000 machine through a Chippewa County field, he's amazed at what he sees.

"This is something--these rocks. Normally we don't get rocks," Prissel says.

Prissel has seen a lot of things since he first started pulling horseradish from the dirt three decades ago.

"My dad worked here back in the 60's and this was going to be a high school summer job. I never thought I'd be here 33 years," Prissel says.

"I started quite young, I was picking dandelions out of the front yard at 12 years old," says Ken Traaseth, the Vice President of Agricultural Operations for Huntsinger Farms.

Traaseth now manages 9000 acres of farmland for Huntsinger Farms.

"Corn, soybeans, snap beans and horseradish--horseradish is the main crop and the moneymaker," he says.

Like Prissel's, Traaseth's parents played a big part in planting his roots in horseradish.

"My mom and dad worked in the processing plant and we lived across the street so it was pretty easy to come over and get a couple of dollars," Traaseth says.

It's a familiar story around Huntsinger Farms, one that started with one family and keeps family at its core.

"It was organized by Ellis Huntsinger in 1929 and it's been an Eau Claire tradition ever since,” says Ed Schaefer, the President of Silver Spring Gardens. “A lot of Eau Claireites remember back in the 70's and early 80's, they bought a lot of produce on the Huntsinger farm."

Today, there's still plenty of horseradish lying around the old farm—800 tons in one cooler and more coming in every day.

"About 60 people run the belt-lines and sort,” says Traaseth. "Our oldest man is Norm Jackson, he's 94."

The crew separates the roots from the rocks. Other workers wash off the dirt. And when Silver Spring's processing plant calls, the horseradish is ready to make its way through the factory's shiny steel pipes and onto store shelves as one of America’s top sellers.

"Yes, we've grown to keep up with business,” says Schaefer. “You have to automate to stay competitive. But family values keep generations working here."

Traaseth and Prissel will wrap up this spring's harvest within a week or so. But, come fall, they'll be back in the fields like their fathers before them.

"A lot of our crew, their parents worked here. It's come down through the generations,” says Traaseth. “It's got some pretty deep roots, not only horseradish roots, but some pretty deep family roots."

Schaefer says horseradish's unappealing name does make marketing a bit of a challenge. But, he says thanks to new products like wasabi sauce and an organic line, he thinks the Silver Spring name will stick around the Chippewa Valley for generations to come.