Michigan AF Podcast: Recent Episodes
Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT
Michigan grows more than 300 different foods and products that we all enjoy every day. We're on a mission to find every local restaurant, manufacturer and food company sourcing their ingredients from right here in the Mitten and in the process, bridge the gap from the farm to your fork. We want to introduce you to all things Michigan agriculture and food – this is Michigan AF.
Contrary to popular belief, dairy cattle only account for 2 percent of carbon emissions globally. We chat with Jeremy Werth and Samantha Whitehead from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan about what sustainability practices farmers are implementing to achieve carbon neutrality.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Our Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassador Megan Gruscynski chats with Michigan State University professor Dr. Dan Buskirk on the future of beef in Michigan from both a producer and consumer perspective.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
In this episode, one of our Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassadors, Carly Claucherty, chats with with Forgotten Harvest, Metro Detroit's largest food rescue organization, on their mission to meet the need of thousands of Metro Detroit's. From rescuing surplus food to cultivating 92 acres of fresh produce, discover how they're fighting hunger and reducing food waste. Meet the faces behind the farm and find out how you can be part of the movement.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
The Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Co. in Bay City is a collaborative effort between the Michigan Milk Producers Association and the Michigan Sugar Company to create fresh, hand-crafted ice cream. General Manager Tim Mangan shares how they source locally grown ingredients for their ice cream and the seasonal flavors available now.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
The founders of Protein Pints were looking to marry two of their favorite things - fitness and ice cream when they created Protein Pints. Learn how the business came to be, why they picked Michigan to start the company and future plans to expand the business.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Last spring Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Dr. Tim Boring as the Director of Michigan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. We talk with Director Boring about his background and experience with Michigan farmers, as well as how Michigan is working to build resiliency with regenerative agriculture.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Sustainability is at the forefront of farmers' minds at all times because they want to be able to pass their farms on to the next generation. We chatted with Greg Salisbury, Vice President of Electric Distribution at Consumers Energy about all the ways farmers and the company are partnering to reduce carbon footprints and utilize clean energy.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Like humans, dairy cattle are more susceptible to disease when they are newborns. Dr. Angel Abuelo, an associate professor at Michigan State University, researches immunity for calves and pregnant cows to improve health and productivity. He joins us on the podcast to talk about vaccines, his research and how MSU Extension works to promote agriculture to consumers.
"They [vaccines] go through a very thorough vetting process before they get to the market and before we as veterinarians or producers can use it on animals. They are definitely safe." - Dr. Angel Abuelo
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
GreenStone Farm Credit Services provides farmers with financial services and insurance, but they also give back to their members through their annual Patronage Day. Celebrating this year on March 16, the company will be giving back $120 million to members across Michigan and Wisconsin. Hear from their new CEO, Travis Jones, about why giving back is so important, as well as how GreenStone can support first generation and new farmers. We also discuss why GreenStone has been named a great place to work by the WallStreet Journal.
Connect with GreenStone Farm Credit Services: https://www.greenstonefcs.com/
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
February 18-25 is the celebration of National FFA Week and to tell us more about the organization, as well as 4-H, we're chatting with Kent Bollinger, the longtime agriscience teacher and FFA advisor at Coopersville High School. Kent shares how students learn about agriculture, leadership, and life through FFA. This episode is co-hosted by Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassador, Kelley Chase.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
There are so many ways agriculture touches our everyday lives, all the way to the grass under our feet! We're chatting with Diane Mischel, a third generation sod farmer at DeBuck Sod Farm. Diane shares how sod is grown, harvested and delivered to your door to create a beautiful, lush yard instantly.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
As a professor at Michigan State University for the last three decades, Dr. Karen Renner has had the opportunity to see the students in her classes evolve from those interested in pursuing careers in agriculture to students from across the spectrum of the university. She shares how she has evolved her course too and how technology is changing the future of farming. This episode is co-hosted by ambassador, Maddie Cary.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
The future of agriculture depends on innovation and technological advances to keep the industry progressing forward. Efforts to attract and retain agriculture technology companies in Mid-Michigan falls to the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. Through a new project on the M-21 Corridor, LEAP is bringing AgTech to the forefront. We talked to Emma Bostwick to learn more.
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Meet Ambassadors Zoey and Emma and learn how they got involved with the Ag Council, decided they wanted to pursue agriculture as a career and hear them answer questions from our listeners about farming and Michigan agriculture.
If you're interested in being part of the next group of Ambassadors, you can learn more about michigangrown.org/ambassador
Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
- Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!
Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!
Benzie County in northwest Michigan is home to nearly 18,000 residents and they are supported by a vast community center at Grow Benzie. With programming for young and adults alike, Grow Benzie strives to provide access to healthful foods, jobs, life skills, and each other while providing a space that nurtures this activity. With an incubator farm, commercial kitchen and their own farmers market, Grow Benzie is growing a supportive community.
We're chatting with Maria Leggett, the chef behind the Grand Traverse Hot Sauce Co. Based in Traverse City, this hot sauce company prides itself on sourcing ingredients from right here in Michigan and Chef Maria pours her heart into her recipes. This episode is co-hosted by our ambassador Micheal Ceja, who also has a special connection to the hot sauce company.
Find the Grand Traverse Hot Sauce Company on Facebook and Instagram.
It's estimated that the cost of groceries has increased 10% over this time last year. We talk with George Quackenbush, executive director for the Michigan Beef Industry Commission on what factors play into this increase, how farmers are impacted by it and how shoppers can stretch their dollar when buying meat at the store.
Michigan has long-standing been a leader in craft spirits and has a rich history and connection to agriculture. Hear more as we talk to Dianna Stamphler, the executive director of the Michigan Craft Distillers Association and Angie Jackson, Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassador. We'll also chat about the upcoming Michigan Distilled event on September 23rd.
Devon Wilson is on a mission to make food and agriculture accessible to young people! He started Sunlight Garden in the heart of Battle Creek so he could connect people to their food in a meaningful way. Hear how he does this by connecting his community to local food. We're also joined by Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT ambassador, Angie Jackson!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunlightgardens1
Supporting local farmers and businesses is easy in Michigan with the abundance of food and products grown here. In this episode we're chatting with Joe Verbeke, the owner of the Superior Street Mercantile in Albion. The Mercantile is an independent market that features over 120 Michigan-based products and sources produce, eggs and meat from local farmers.
Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superiorstreetmercantile
Soil2Service is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to connecting humans to their food. We chatted with co-founders John Piazza and Jeremy Abbey to learn more about their initiatives and how they are partnering with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT to promote the diversity of Michigan agriculture at Greenfield Village.
This week we chat with Michigan Gluten Free Gal about the ways Michigan restaurants and bakers are catering to people with Celiac Disease and gluten allergies.
Star of the West is a 152-year-old milling company in Frankenmuth. Some of the most popular food brands are made with flour milled at Star of the West. They're also taking great steps to be sustainable. Listen as we chat with Sustainability Director, Lisa Woodke, about how Star of the West is protecting the planet.
Michigan is home to some of the best grains and ingredients for making cocktails and spirits. We meet Angie Jackson, the Traveling Elixir Fixer, to learn more about the process behind mixing the perfect drink and learn more about how she is working with farmers to create fabulous cocktails!
There's nothing better than fresh produce straight from the farm. At Fusilier Family Farm, you can order fresh fruits, vegetables and other products to be delivered right to your door, straight from the field. Chad Fusilier shares how the program got its start and has grown in popularity. Find out how you can sign up!
Farmhaus Cider Co. in Hudsonville started as a dream for John Behrens and his wife and grew quicker than they imagined. From people just showing up to the facility when there wasn't a taproom, to winning an award four years running, the origins story of this Michigan cidery just HAD to be shared.
GreenStone Farm Credit Services supports farmers throughout Michigan and Wisconsin with loans, insurance and grants. Hear how the financial institution is giving back to their patrons in a record-breaking way!
March is Michigan Food & Agriculture Month and we’re joined by the Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gary McDowell, to share about all the great ways we can celebrate our agriculture and food in the Great Lakes State.
Growing Hope in Ypsilanti is providing opportunities for residents to grow, sell, buy, prepare and eat nourishing food. We chat with executive director Cythnia VanRenterghem about the programs provided by Growing Hope and how the organization is creating a sustainable food system in Washtenaw County.
Loren King, social media strategist with NEOGEN, may not be working directly in production agriculture, but that doesn't stop him from advocating for it. Loren is passionate about sharing farmers' stories and showcasing the technology and innovation farmers use everyday. He shares his insights on the future of farming and how Gen Z will change agriculture.
When you visit Ed Dunneback & Girls farm in Grand Rapids, you get so much more than fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm. With delicious food, live music, trivia and a brewery in the basement of the barn, it's an experience - and one you don't want to miss.
Are fresh fruits and vegetables healthier than frozen? What does genetically modified mean? There are alot of myths around topics related to food and nutrition. We're joined by ambassador Maddie Cary and MSU Agricultural Economist Trey Malone to bust some of the most common myths around agriculture and food.
The Ankley Family Farm was founded in 1902 but that doesn't mean it's an old farm. The farm in Imlay city is constantly evolving and diversifying and in 2020 they added agritourism destination to their resume. We talk to Joe Ankley about how the farm is welcoming guests to pick flowers and more.
If you're ringing in the New Year from the comfort of your living room, you can still get festive with InBooze Infusion Cocktail Kits. We're joined by founder Ashleigh Evans to hear all about how the kits work and how she ended up on Oprah's Stocking Stuffer list in 2020.
It's the most wonderful time of the year - holiday baking time! Emily Lawler from the Cookie Press shares her best tips for baking and decorating the perfect sugar cookies for your holiday season. Tune in for all her baking secrets!
Lisa Szymanski is a crop farmer in Port Austin who loves Christmas. Her family has many traditions around finding the perfect tree to put up each year. Lisa's decided she wants to provide those traditions to other families, so she's starting Creekside Christmas Tree Farm. Listen as Lisa shares her vision for the farm and her infectious Christmas Spirit!
In the pursuit of the perfect Michigan-grown Thanksgiving, we turned to the experts at the MSU Meat Lab to learn all the tips and tricks for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. You'll learn how to pick the perfect turkey, how to make sure it's nice and juicy on Thanksgiving (and after) and how to not burn down your house this holiday season!
If you want a taste of Michigan, then look no further than Barrel & Beam Brewery in Marquette. Co-Founder Nick VanCourt shares how they brew Michigan craft beer and cider to perfection and where you can find, even if you're not a Yooper.
Michigan sheep produce about 325,000 lbs. of wool each year and the Zeilinger Wool Company spins much of that wool into beautiful yarn and products. Chief Operations Officer April Zeilinger shares how the 100+ year-old company got its start and some of the ways to spot quality yarn.
Do you eat enough beans? We'll hear from Shari Steinback, a nutritionist and culinary consultant, about why incorporating beans into a plant-forward diet is so important and how you can cook up some tasty beans this season. We'll also meet Steve Ewald, a bean farmer from Tuscola County who shares how and when beans are harvested in Michigan.
Fostering community through coffee isn't just the mission of Foster Coffee Co., it's a labor of love for founder Jon Moore. Meet Jon and hear all about his journey from touring musician to coffee roaster and why connecting with his community, including local farmers and growers, is so important.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance brings together farmers, ranchers, processors and others to safeguard the future of animal agriculture. Staffers Emily Solis and Grace Platte share more about their mission and how they work to advocate for farmers and ranchers.
The Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT podcast is back from our summer hiatus and excited to share stories of agriculture and food from around Michigan. Meet our new host, Noelle Nachreiner, and learn what you can expect from the Michigan AF podcast.
They say all good things must come to an end, but we disagree. We think all good things should take a brief hiatus and relaunch with version 2.0...like this podcast. Over the last three years, Carla Wardin has served as the voice of the Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT podcast - introducing us to farmers, producers and ag leaders from throughout Michigan. As Carla moves on to bigger and better things, we thank her for the incredible work she's done and we wish her well! As for us...the show must go on...sorta. We'll be back in June with a new host, new format and new name. Stay tuned...
Derek Thom is a crop and cattle farmer at D & D Thom Farms in Peck, and he’s the fifth generation in his family to be on the farm. He grows corn, soybeans, sugar beets, wheat, and hay. He also raises Holstein steers and maintains a beef cow herd. When he’s not on the farm, he likes to hunt, ride his dirt bike, snowmobile, and be outside.
Listen as he talks about:
- The crop he most enjoys harvesting
- The new barns they’re building this year
- The amazing technology of farm equipment
- The changes his family farm has made over the years
- His hometown of Peck
Follow him at:
- YOUTUBE
C.J. Hunt owns Hunt’s Hillside Vineyards, LCC in Lawton, where he grows 38 acres of eight different varieties of wine grapes. He contracts his grapes to St Julian Winery in Paw Paw. He and his wife Hilary are raising three children – Payton, Sadie, and Clyde. Together they enjoy sledding, enjoying winter in a greenhouse, and going out to eat.
C.J. talks about:
- How wind machines work to keep off the frost
- His plans for growing more grapes this year
- His career path that led to being an owner
- The labor problems facing his industry
- How the polar vortex affected wine grapes
Links to visit:
facebook.com/colemanjhunt
facebook.com/HuntsHillsideLLC
Andrew Woelmer raises corn and soybeans on his seventh-generation family farm, and he also is a financial services officer at GreenStone Farm Credit Services, the agricultural lending organization. Andrew began farming his own land when he was still in college at Ferris State University, and after graduating with an applied math major and finance minor, he got an opportunity to start at GreenStone. Five years later, he’s enjoying both roles.
Listen as he talks about:
- Running the combine with his nephew Orin (pictured here in tractor)
- The rain and hail of tough years
- How he decided on his career path
- How his roles complement each other
- What he likes to do when he’s not farming
FACEBOOK PAGE
Allan Robinette is part of Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery, an agri-tourism destination in Grand Rapids. They also offer you-pick of a variety of fruits, a corn maze, a bakery, and many family activities. Allan credits his grandparents Jim and Bethel Robinette with making the transition to a retail business model. When Allan isn’t pruning, talking with visitors, or doing one of the million other details it takes to run a business, he enjoys cycling and watching movies.
Listen as Allan talks about:
- The best apples to grow and eat
- Pest control with pheromones
- How a company designs and forms a corn maze
- How to prune trees to get the best growth
- How one expansion led to another for farm visitors
Tag in social media:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK PAGE
Kendra Kissane has her dream job of being the environmental stewardship manager at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy through Dairy Management Inc. She’s working with farmers to meet the sustainability goals of achieving carbon neutrality or better, optimizing water usage, and improving water quality by 2050. She and her husband are moving to her family’s farm, where she will get to use her interior decorating skills to make it their own. They enjoy participating in adventure races, skiing, traveling, and hiking.
Listen as Kendra talks about:
- Why she enjoys her job as environmental stewardship manager, and how she got here
- Her plans for wildflower planting and a pumpkin patch
- How farmers can recognize and promote the sustainable efforts they make every day
- How she and her husband met
- Her favorite state park in Michigan, plus her favorite foreign countries
McKenzie and her husband Joe farm hay, livestock, and row crop in Dundee, MI. McKenzie also is a news anchor for ABC 13 in Toledo. She grew up on a crop farm, and she and Joe met at the Monroe County Fair – they even had their engagement pictures taken there. Together they’re raising show pigs, expanding their operation, and traveling – with stops for checking out hay equipment on the way.
Listen as McKenzie talks about:
- Date nights delivering hay
- Apologizing to interviewees in case you smell after leaving the pig barn
- What you need to do to take care of pigs
- Interviewing a farmer after a tornado devastated his farm, and his open demeanor
- How she got into broadcasting, and what she gets out of it
Abby owns a greenhouse, helps at her family’s farm and agritourism business, and is a crop insurance agent for River Farms Crop Insurance Agency, Inc. She’s vice president of the Lenawee County Farm Bureau Board, and she’s also on the state Young Farmer Committee. She and her husband Ben just got married during the summer of 2020. They enjoy exploring state and national parks, kayaking, canoeing, and just being outside.
Listen as she talks about:
- Why she is the least millennial-millennial
- What day of the year she can finally relax
- How she knew she wanted to marry someone with a farmer mentality
- The mental health issues in agriculture today
- Why she loves watching things grow
FaceBook Page
carpenterfarmsadrian.com/
Kyle Keller owns Keller Farms & Supply, which is a part of agriculture people don’t think about every day. He grows and sources 5,000 acres of wheat straw and hay bales to supply erosion control and manufacturing companies, like making straw blankets. They also supply dairy and equine operations. Kyle began his business in 2014, right after he graduated high school, and continued running it while he graduated from Michigan State in agribusiness management. In his free time he coaches baseball, is a chapter advisor for Alpha Gamma Rho, and enjoys traveling to ag and sports events.
Listen as he talks about:
- The color, length, moisture, and grade requirements in straw
- Why you should take business risks in your 20s
- Working with his family, and his mom’s famous food
- Why July 1 is his Christmas day
- The planning, coordinating, and personal relations that go into running a business
FaceBook Page
Instagram: @kellerfarmssupply
www.kellerfs.com
Olivia and her family own DeVooght Farms and run DeVooght’s General Store in Skandia, where they sell food they produce, as well as products from other local farmers. Their dairy barn roof collapsed in 2019 after 14 feet of snowfall, Olivia had to decide if they wanted to rebuild or quit altogether. They continued to press on, because as Olivia said, “The milk prices aren’t good, but the lifestyle is.” She and her husband Craig just welcomed a new baby, Hazel Anne.
Listen as Olivia talks about:
- How milking robots work, and what interesting behaviors cows have
- How their farm and general store complement each other
- One of the worst days of her life after a month of shoveling
- Her Earth Day baby and the perfect picture
- What you learn when you go from raising 40 chickens to 600
FaceBook Page
Katie Serbinski has spent her entire career communicating the message about making healthy food choices, and she’s raising four children who are her toughest food critics. As Director of Nutrition & Consumer Communications for the Michigan Beef Industry Commission and a registered dietitian, she works with health care professionals and consumers on spreading awareness on resources, recipes, and research. On the side, she also runs her own business, Mom to Mom Nutrition.
Listen as Katie talks about:
- The health benefits of beef and how to make every bite count
- Why she tries burgers at every restaurant
- Why her career path led her toward working with farmers and communities
- What she likes to do with her kids in metro Detroit
- Why she’s been making a chipotle sloppy joe with crunchy coleslaw topping recipe for a decade
MIBeef.org
Beefitswhatsfordinner.com
MomtoMomNutrition.com
Tera Baker is the applications and marketing manager for Nedap Livestock Management, North America. She’s been working in ag tech for seven years, and her position involves working with technology that helps farmers manage their herds – like with devices that are similar to Fitbits for cows. She and her husband Shawn also farm their own crops, own a precision ag business, and help on her family’s farm.
Listen as Tera talks about:
- The transition from ag tech solving problems to preparing for the future
- Her first Disney princess calf
- Why her husband wanted her to win second place in the national Farm Bureau discussion meet
- The way the cows look in the morning with the steam rising from the herd, and why she loves it
- The moment she knew she made the right decision about her career
facebook.com/newviewprecisionag
facebook.com/Tri-Koebel-840463816023495
Riley Brazo is a 2020 Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmer Ag Employee Finalist and sweet sixteen discussion meet finalist. He works with Fawn River Farms, where they raise seed corn for Bayer Crop Sciences, commercial corn, and 6,000 hogs. Riley’s favorite time on the farm is seed corn harvest, because he loves the satisfaction of seeing the completion of all their hard work. He and his wife Ashley love – in a normal year – going to concerts and attending MSU games, and they always enjoy camping.
Listen as Riley talks about:
- Interesting details on how flaming and detasseling actually work
- What day makes him as excited as Christmas morning
- Why he jokes he married Betty Crocker
- How a video on a blue jacket led to his community involvement
- What new data collection technology he has seen over just a short time
Phil Dougherty is a turkey farmer in Alto. He, his wife Jennifer, and his four kids have been raising heavy toms for three years. Phil worked on dairy farms while he was growing up, and he started his career as an electrician. His wife’s family also has their own turkey farm, so he became interested in the business when he met her, and years later they decided to start their own. Phil spends his time watching his kids play sports, running, and volunteering in his community.
Listen as he talks about:
- Details on how turkey farming works
- Different turkey personality traits
- Challenges in the poultry industry
- The mini-date he and his wife go on each week for Meals with Wheels
- What community organizations mean the most to him
Listener note - Phil wanted to make a correction. During the podcast he said Coccidiostats when he meant Ionophores. Coccidiostats are allowed in No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) production.
Courtney Matthias grew up on a livestock and crop farm, and she wanted a job that combined her love of science, cattle, and people. She went to MSU to become a large animal veterinarian, and she has been with the Sterner Veterinary Clinic for three years. She spends most of her time on dairy farms checking for pregnancy and maintaining care protocols. She, her husband Zac, and her daughter Zoey live in Ionia, where they love making use of the extensive trail system.
Listen as Courtney talks about:
- How her first surgery patient became her best friend
- What farmers do to make sure cows are comfortable – fans, beds, climate
- How being blessed with long arms makes some vet work easier
- What surprises people about her job
- Her latest hobby – cake decorating
Paul Pridgeon is a seventh generation farmer on Pridgeon Farms, where he and his family raise hogs and crops. He, his wife Nikki, and their three daughters just moved closer to the farm to secure a 30-second commute to work. Paul went to Central Michigan for his business degree and MSU for his MBA before deciding to farm in Montgomery. He really enjoys working with and laughing with his family, especially when it’s at his expense.
Listen as Paul talks about:
- The breakdancing ballet dance parties that occur when you live with four beautiful women
- The very real effects of Covid on the supply chain and prices
- Barns of the 80s, 90s, and today
- Why his least favorite crop surrounds his house
- What kind of fitness he’s embracing as a dad
- Why pigs prefer sleeping indoors
Tye Thompson started selling produce at 14 years old. He continued running his business as he earned his horticulture degree from MSU, and now he has four roadside stands where he sells multiple varieties of fruit and vegetables. Tye isn’t from a farm and didn’t grow up farming, and people telling him he couldn’t own one made him work even harder to make it happen. He spends his free time fixing up his home, spending time with his family, and seeing his fiancée, Holly.
Tye talks about:
- How learning from other people and doing his own work has helped
- The amazing process of grafting trees
- What he loves about having regular customers
- His ultimate business goals
- How this unusual year was actually great for business
- What are the easiest and hardest foods to grow
Link to Facebook page
Matt Munsell owns Munsell’s Poultry Processing in Fowlerville, where he lives with his wife Amanda and daughter Elnora. Along with processing poultry for farmers markets, restaurants, and backyard growers, he and his family grow 1000 acres of crops, plus raise steers and pigs. They run a greenhouse and roadside stand right on the farm. Matt enjoys horseback riding with his wife, being active in Farm Bureau, and spending time with friends. Since they’re also farmers, that means they see each other when it’s raining.
Listen as Matt talks about:
- How poultry processing actually works
- His positive experience giving a farm tour to his wife’s city friends
- His thoughts on changing and volunteering
- What steps his farm took during the spring shutdown
Links:
Munsells Poultry Processing
Munsell Farms
Deidre Iciek is a comprehensive nutrient management plan consultant, and she and her family also own Iciek Dairy in Gladwin. As a CNMP consultant, she works with farms to make sure their manure management systems are compliant, which includes help with reporting, permitting, and training. Deidre, her husband Walt, and her two sons love traveling domestically and internationally, camping at Higgins Lake, and going to MSU football games.
Listen as she talks about:
- Food tours with her siblings in Brooklyn, NY and Colombia, SA
- The continual need for evolution in the agriculture industry
- Her path through ag that led to her job now
- How you get a field named after you
- Her future trip to Ireland with her whole family
Afton Blight of Blight Farms took a year off before college and worked at a non-profit in South America. There she learned she liked working outside, enjoyed the seasons of Michigan, and wanted to see the results of her work – namely to watch crops and livestock grow. After graduating in animal science from MSU, she now farms with her family in Albion. She and her husband Branden also own and run River Dell Venue, an event barn on the Kalamazoo River.
Listen as Afton talks about:
- Her daily routine, which starts and ends with hogs
- Why bookwork isn’t her first choice
- How she loves that her husband is a plumber, but what career would save her the most money
- How to tell when a pig isn’t excited to see you
- The hair smell test for going out
Mentioned in podcast - blightfarms.com
Markeisha Wesley is graduating with a BS in agribusiness management from Michigan State University. She’s also worked as the assistant manager for the Detroit Kitchen Connect Program, which is an Eastern Market Corporation program that trains and supports food entrepreneurs. Markeisha enjoys traveling to other countries, being in nature, and enjoying outdoor activities with her friends.
Listen as she talks about:
- Her goal to start a fresh flower urban farm
- The fun of making homemade pasta
- What it’s like going to college online
- The satisfaction of gaining knowledge and experience through work and school
- How her interest in agriculture started, and where it’s going to take her
Lyndsay Earl is a member representative at Michigan Milk Producers Association, which is a milk co-op. Originally from a dairy farm, Lyndsay graduated in animal science - agribusiness management specialization - from Michigan State University. She enjoys working with dairy farmers to diagnose problems, perform inspections, and do employee trainings. She, her husband Seth, and their daughters enjoy spending as much time as possible on Hamlin Lake.
Listen as she talks about:
- The first-ever Stakenas Stampede race they created this year
- What people want to know about dairy farming
- Their active involvement in American Farm Bureau and Michigan Farm Bureau
- Fitbits for cows, manure flushing systems, and other farm technology advancements
- Adventure races and representing Team Chocolate Milk
Amy Spitznagel owns Idyll Farms, a goat farm and creamery located in Northport, Michigan. Following a career as a teacher, flight attendant, and actress, Amy and her husband Mark decided to embrace the farm-to-table and environmental movement with a pasture-based goat farm. With goat cheese pairing perfectly with wine in the Leelanau region, the rolling hills being good for pasture, and the great fit with their family, their farm was born. Amy, her husband, and children spend as much time as they can on the farm and live in Bloomfield Hills.
Amy talks about:
- How goats historically get a bad rap for their independent, inquisitive spirits
- The farm’s award-winning goat cheese
- The goat milking process, and what people are surprised to learn about goats
- How she loves foraging in the woods
- Her future plans to travel to Africa
Visit their website
Caitlin Luck is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in agricultural education. Her family farm in Sand Creek grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. She knew since seventh grade she wanted to go into agricultural education at MSU, and all her activities through 4-H and FFA led to achieving her goal. She begins student teaching next year. She enjoys antiquing with her family, DIY projects, reading, and camping.
Listen as she talks about:
- The animals on their farm, and why her mom is a crazy chicken lady
- How communication with consumers can only improve the state of ag
- Her brother’s funny experience at the fair
- Her upcoming presentation at the MSU swine farm
- The one person she talks to on the phone
Ben Zaleski, Michigan Ag Council Ambassador, became interested in agriculture by growing up around it in Port Austin and participating in FFA in high school. He’s a junior at Michigan State University, where he’s majoring in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education, with the ultimate goal of working in community outreach. He likes to hike, run, and be outside, and when he’s forced inside, he likes to watch documentaries and movies – including, yes, Tiger King – like all of America in 2020.
Listen as Ben talks about:
- Why volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and Haven House is important to him
- The Harvest Hangouts and farmers markets he’s participating in as ambassador
- Making pasta noodles by hand, plus working in a restaurant
- Why he switched his major to get back into agriculture
- The best and cheapest pizza in East Lansing
Erin Keller recently graduated with her BS in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University, and now she’s an engineer at Consumers Energy. She became interested in agriculture through her science classes at MSU, her interest in sustainability, and her experience working at MSU Extension. She loves hiking, writing, reading, and art – her recent painting of Kid Cudi is one of her favorite pieces.
Listen as Erin talks about:
- Being a walk-on on the MSU track team and why the javelin was fun
- Sustainable agriculture and environmental health issues
- Bringing football-level cheering to track and cross country
- Living in East Lansing with her dog, Breslin
- Why she wanted to be an agricultural ambassador
Jacob Hoskins, who recently graduated from Ferris State University, just started as a program technician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in St Johns. After working on farms in high school and enjoying the industry, he knew he ultimately wanted a job in agriculture. He’s looking forward to his work as an ambassador because he wants to be even more involved with the industry. He likes hiking, fishing, and going up north with his family. Jacob and his wife Sara are also getting ready to welcome a new puppy into their East Lansing home.
Jacob talks about:
- How he learned about integrity from his best friend
- Detasseling corn and working on a produce farm
- Why maps are the first thing he looks at on his phone
- Just how steep the banks are on the Pine River
- Why the hamburgers at his house are the best
Lauren recently graduated from Michigan State University with a dual major in agribusiness management and food industry management from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She’s now working in the appraisal department at GreenStone Farm Credit Services. Originally from Carsonville, Lauren’s family used to have a dairy farm, and now they have a beef and crop farm. She loves working in agriculture and especially talking with people about it. She’s getting married next year, enjoys cooking and baking, and likes to spend time going snowmobiling with her family.
Listen as Lauren talks about:
- Having honest conversations with non-farmers
- Why she isn’t really on social media
- Her dad’s simple but profound advice
- Why she likes working in agriculture
- The best places to eat around campus
Haili Gusa became interested in agriculture through FFA, where she served as a chapter, regional, and state officer. Her involvement led to showing pigs at the county fair, entering many speaking competitions, and ultimately becoming an ag ambassador due to her love of talking to people about farming. She’s a member of the honors program at Central Michigan University, where she’s majoring in communication with a minor in psychology. She enjoys playing sports, running, and being with her friends on campus.
Listen as Haili talks about:
- The love of running and volleyball that runs in her family
- FFA social media takeovers during COVID-19
- Limo service and farmers markets
- How gardeners relate to farmers
- Being an adrenaline junkie at Black Rocks
Emma Grant is a junior at Michigan State University, where she’s double majoring in horticulture and crop and soil science, and minoring in ag business. Her hometown is Suttons Bay, and she’s enjoyed running the farmers market there for the last two years. After working on cherry farms and at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, she’s really interested in doing meaningful research that really helps farmers find solutions to growing problems.
Listen as Emma talks about:
- Authentic Chinese food via her roommate
- Her new job working on tree fruits in a MSU research lab
- Everything she loves about farmers markets
- How she now has to quash her first instinct when she sees people
- Owning it in your own industry
Madelyn Cary lives on her family’s farm where they grow cash crops and raise cattle. They also recently began running the Elwell Elevator. She’s beginning at Michigan State University in the fall to study agribusiness management with the goal of coming back to work on her farm in a managerial position. She works at Bader & Sons, which is a John Deere dealership, even though she has to put up with a lot of teasing because her family owns Case IH machines. Though her senior year of high school was disappointing due to the COVID-19 panic, she has a positive attitude … and is going to wear her prom dress somewhere, even if it’s just in the living room.
Listen as Madelyn talks about:
- Her love for showing cattle, and where it took her
- Everyone’s roles on her family farm
- Taking adorable baby chicks and lambs into classrooms for lessons
- Why it’s sometimes better eating at home, because Texas Roadhouse rolls are impossible not to overeat
- Why she devoted a Facebook page to agriculture
See her facebook page
Hailey Andres just graduated from University of Michigan-Flint with a degree in graphic design and marketing. When she joined FFA at New Lothrup High School, she became interested in agriculture and shaped her career around it. She now is interning with GreenStone Farm Credit Services, plus she has started her own marketing business called Cultivation Agricultural Marketing LLC. She loves visiting National Parks and is the happiest outdoors. As self-described foodie, she also likes to check out the best places to eat locally and while traveling.
Listen as she talks about:
- The great parts about Flint, including 100K Ideas which helps launch entrepreneurs
- Working with an agricultural museum and farms with her marketing business
- Her new apartment and the dog she’s going to adopt to live with her
- The best places to hike and eat in Michigan
- Why she has chosen agriculture, and what she wants to do with it
www.cultivationagmarketing.com
Michael Ceja, Michigan Ag Council Ambassador, is studying business management at Delta College. His sophomore year of high school he got involved in FFA and got interested in ag advocacy and youth leadership. Last year he won the state collegiate discussion meet for Michigan Farm Bureau, and he plans to continue his involvement. He loves hammocking, listening to podcasts, and being with his friends.
Listen as he talks about:
- His funny misunderstanding about animals
- How his ag mentor has helped along the way
- Why a true crime-comedy works
- What it was like to be in FFA
- Why he’s interested in ag advocacy
Grace Platte is one of our Michigan Ag Council Ambassadors. She’s studying agricultural education at Michigan State University, and she works two jobs – she manages social media for the College of Agricultural & Natural Resources, and she works for MSU Extension - Chronic Wasting Disease. Grace didn’t grow up on a farm, but she became interested in her friend’s pigs and became involved in 4-H and FFA, where she was a state officer. She loves advocating for agriculture in her professional and personal life. She also likes golfing, hanging out with her friends, and visiting the Thumb.
Listen as Grace talks about:
- Her advice on intimidation
- Finding out why farmers love what they do
- Her dog Harper, who is going to live with her in the sorority house
- How a year at MSU will look like with COVID changes
- Relating to people about farming
Facebook: Grace Olivia Platte
Instagram: @graceplatte
Tony Motz farms with his dad, where they grow corn, soybeans, and wheat on 3000 acres in St Johns. He also started Motz Meat, where he raises steers to sell as freezer beef. Tony earned his degree in agribusiness at Michigan State University, and he enjoys finetuning farm practices. For instance, they are taking tissue samples to analyze crop nutrients and improving record keeping by using software that links to a weather station. When he’s not working, he loves going up north or sitting on the back deck of his house with his fiancée, Mackenzie.
Listen as Tony talks about:
- The reward that comes with a dedication to farming and family
- Having a wedding reception in the same shop his parents did 28 years ago
- Why the third day of planting is the best day of the year
- When he knew he shouldn’t buy a dirt bike
- Why networking in college is even more valuable than learning financial ratios
Facebook Page
Kip Siegler is a farming YouTube sensation, with over 14,000 subscribers, 66 videos, and 1.3 million total views in just nine months. He’s a dairy and crop farmer in Imlay City, where he milks 200 cows and raises hay, corn, soybeans, and wheat on 1700 acres. Kip farms with his brothers and parents, has two daughters, and is getting married next year to his fiancée Rochelle. He enjoys seeing his daughters perform in dance, having bonfires at his house, and cruising with his family in their old Ford truck.
Listen as Kip talks about:
- How his time in the military prepared him for owning a business
- His friends buying Siegler swag across the country and world
- How the farm now is a culmination of all the work that’s gone into it
- Why you have 30 chances to perfect growing crops
- How 4-H gave him the funds to buy his first house at age 19
Youtube Channel
Nate Wittkamp of Wittkamp Grain and Vegetable LLC grows asparagus, hemp, pickles, and zucchini on his farm in Oceana County. Nate graduated from Michigan State University and worked as a sales agronomist for Wilbur Ellis. After working for them and farming at the same time, he was approached by investors and asked to grow 200 acres of hemp. Instead of having two full-time jobs, he concentrated only on the farm to develop this commercially-new crop. In his free time, he follows Michigan State sports, bow hunts, and goes to the beach.
Listen as Nate talks about:
- The original gold rush mentality of hemp that has since calmed down
- What it’s like to not have sports due to COVID-19
- Reasons behind hand labor
- The amazing growth of asparagus
- The experiments you can do with crops when no one yet has all the answers
Katelyn farms with her grandparents, parents, brother, and husband on their centennial farm in Washtenaw County. They milk 400 cows and raise crops to feed them. Her main area of interest is taking care of the animals, including health management, making sure milking is going smoothly in the parlor, and raising calves. She’s heavily involved in promotion, 4-H, and Farm Bureau. When she’s not working, she loves to travel and read – currently Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie mysteries.
Listen as Katelyn talks about:
- How they invite everyone in their neighborhood over for a big open house
- Her first time hiking – which was climbing Mount Fuji in Japan
- Taking care of calves in the 95 degree heat
- Her grandpa’s influence on always trying to improve
- Being selected as the 2020 Young Farmer Ag Leader
Jesse Jensen is a beekeeper at Greene’s Honey Farm in Edmore. He’s been a beekeeper for nine years, and when he’s not working the bees, he’s taking care of his own hives at home. He, his wife Lauren, and their son Hoyt also love taking Ranger rides, watching Hoyt play in the sprinkler, and swimming and boating at Higgins Lake.
Listen as Jesse talks about:
- The full-time job of beekeeping, including feeding, treating, and taking care of the bees
- Hunting, snowmobiling, and the best day of the year
- The year timeline of shipping bees around the country
- How taking care of bees is like milking cows – they don’t wait for you to have time for them
- The biggest bee problem right now
Sarah Tomac started selling pumpkins on the side of the road as a child…and her farm now grows 250 different varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. She and her family also raise sweet corn, Indian corn, and soybeans. She loves the history of International Harvester, she’s an author and co-author of many books, and she’s raising three children. What she keeps coming back to is that although farming is a lot of work, she’s having a lot of fun doing it.
She talks about:
- Hand pollinating pumpkins – the why and how
- Using rare seeds they get from a world traveler, including a variety called a cracked egg
- Her favorite description from a 5-year-old farm visitor about her fall decorations
- Her time living in Australia, and why she prefers Michigan
- How sibling rivalry gave her a great start in the business world
Tomacpumpkins.com
Sarahsgranary.com
John Bowsky is a conservation technician at Blue Water Conservation District in Sandusky, and he also farms with his family on their fourth-generation crop farm. On their centennial farm they raise 470 acres of wheat and soybeans. He’s 4-H swine superintendent, livestock committee chair, and Farm Bureau Young Farmer Chair in Sanilac County. Outside of work, he enjoys golfing, 4-wheeling, and camping with his friends.
He talks about:
- His ties to the land, and what he hopes for future generations
- The 100 acre-wildlife preserve on his farm’s land
- Watching the fox family grow up in their backyard
- Why golf courses look like great hay fields
- His new experiment with no-till
Darcy Hansen is an agronomy consultant at Star of the West Milling, where she helps farmers put together their crop plans and scouts fields to identify solutions. She and her husband Coy also raise Black Angus cattle, Boer goats, and pigs at their home in Minden City - which she jokingly calls their funny farm. Darcy is a 4-H leader, 4-H Fair Superintendent, Chair of Promotion & Education for Sanilac County Farm Bureau, and township clerk. With increased demand for local meat due to COVID-19, she and Coy plan on expanding their farm in 2020.
Darcy talks about:
- How some new procedures due to the pandemic are making business more efficient
- Why she loves her last three years on the Star team
- Her surprise engagement at the county fair
- Stopping at roadside stands on her honeymoon to ask about farming
- Using all of her organizational experience to do a township drive-through food pantry
Joe Bixler works for MSU Extension as a Statewide Government & Community Vitality Educator, and he’s also part of the Community Food Systems team. Originally from the Thumb, he’s worked in agriculture his entire career. With the COVID-19 crisis, he’s been very involved forming partnerships with food banks to distribute food to families in need. Joe is a member of the school board, he’s very involved in his community, and he’s designed a backyard just for his six grandchildren, complete with a playhouse and slide.
Listen as he talks about:
- Distributing food during all kinds of weather this spring – including snow
- His main reasons for working in agriculture
- Beans, dairy, red meat, and all the different kinds of cultural food available and necessary
- New GMO labeling laws
- Buying takeout during COVID-19 for his 18-year-anniversary
Caleb Fuehring of C & D Fuehring Farms grows cherries, asparagus, apples, Christmas trees, corn and soybeans. He and his wife Hannah are celebrating their first wedding anniversary while experiencing their first worldwide pandemic. Caleb has seen farm technology improve considerably from the days when he was mowing orchards in an open cab tractor – with all the bees. He enjoys a community of farmers, friends, and family that push him to work hard.
He talks about:
- Why his friends joke about autosteering
- Being a two-time finalist for the Michigan Farm Bureau Achievement Award
- The best advice he got from his grandpa
- How he married a girl from his rival high school
- His future plans, from a bin & dryer setup to an Upper Peninsula trip
Terry Page started renting land when he was 13, and by the time he graduated high school, he farmed 100 acres and owed 550 hogs. He now is raising soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and corn on 2600 acres, and he also custom harvests for multiple other farms. He enjoys bowling, hunting, fishing, and woodworking. He and his wife Jody - who helps supply amazing dinners for the planting crew - also are raising two young sons, Gavin and Garret.
Terry talks about:
- Finishing his basement in rustic barn wood and beams
- The national competition after winning the Michigan Farm Bureau Achievement Award
- The worst game of charades you’ve ever seen
- How he’s getting what he deserves when it comes to his boys
- Watching the harvest, getting statistics – all remotely
Rich Baker of Rich Baker Farms, LLC in St Joseph County has a diverse operation. He grows seed corn, potatoes, cash crops, and he has a custom spraying operation. He welcomes over 700 visitors at his orchard, and he raises cattle, hogs, horses, and goats. On top of all this, he’s a member of the township board, the fire department, and the medical first responder team. He’s also a 4-H leader and the head of safety and maintenance for the fire department. Rich, along with this wife Cody and daughter Zoey, love spending time on the lake with their boat and camper.
Listen as Rich talks about:
- How his parents punished him by not allowing him to go to the farm
- How the first farm check he wrote changed his perspective
- How the seed corn process actually works
- What he likes about farming, even in the rough years
- Why irrigation season is like Christmas morning every day
Blake Gordon of B & C Gordon Farms raises wheat, corn, soybeans, and sugar beets in Croswell. He and his dad, Cliff, often don’t need to use a two-way radio to communicate, because they know what the other is thinking. Blake enjoys farming so much that when he’s not doing it, he likes to play the video game Farm Simulator. Blake is also a Pioneer seed salesman and a Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmer Leader Award finalist. Like many essential businesses, COVID-19 hasn’t changed his day-to-day operations, but it does change the markets.
Listen as he talks about:
- His most-used apps, in addition to Snapchat
- Autosteer, and how it helps in record-keeping
- The best parts about working with Pioneer
- Tractor pulls, county fairs, and supporting the community
- His optimistic view of the challenges of farming
Isaac Matchett of Matchett Sheep Farm in Charlevoix raises sheep for meat and wool. Right now with the uncertainly of the COVID-19 shutdown, he continues to work toward his normal goal of ensuring the farm is never stagnant. He’s active in his church, Michigan Sheep Producers, and Michigan Farm Bureau. In his free time he enjoys playing pickup soccer with friends and tourists that visit Charlevoix, and spending time with his wife Brianna and their two young sons, who are fascinated with every farm machine.
Isaac talks about:
- How many lambs a ewe has, to the exact decimal point
- The farming sparkle he sees in his boys
- The seasonal nature of sheep farming
- His most-asked questions about wool
- Why he likes to be working in his free time
Sheep shearing video referenced:
LINK TO VIDEO
Cindy Visser and her family grow over 100 varieties of vegetables and flowers in Zeeland. They sell at many farmers markets, direct to restaurants, and through their CSA. Cindy, Phil, and their seven children have been working together on the farm since 1981. They immediately responded to the challenges of COVID-19 by changing where and how they sold their products. Cindy, an obvious extrovert, loves connecting with her community to talk about farming and faith.
Listen as she talks about:
- Her husband’s saying, “Sometimes making it work is the hardest work.”
- The invigorating smell of plowed dirt and the excitement of seeing a plant grow
- Perspective gained from a difficult farming loss
- How each child learned a different essential skill at the tech center
- The group of girls she leads in her church to teach inward and outward beauty
http://visser-farms.com/
Kate Livingston farms with her family on Livingston Farms in St Johns, where they raise grass fed beef, maple syrup, and peppermint and spearmint oil. Her family farm has been in the same location since 1902. Kate enjoys biking on the local rail trail, paddleboarding, working a variety of side jobs, and drinking maple syrup straight from the spigot.
Listen as Kate talks about:
- The increase in meat sales due to COVID-19
- Her love of going barefoot and being outside
- Her advice about letting things go, especially in 2020
- The farming practices they use to raise their cattle
- Her future plans for a storefront for direct sales
https://www.livingstonfarmsmi.com/
Amanda Shreve is the Executive Director of the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA). After earning a degree in horticulture from Michigan State, Amanda knew she had a passion for the industry. She found her home at MIFMA, where for the last decade she has been working to support and promote farmers markets. MIFMA also provides professional development, advocates for farmers, and works to make sure everyone has access to fresh and healthy food. The MIFMA team visited more than 40 farmers markets last year, and whenever Amanda was at a market, she couldn't be stopped from trying lavender-flavored anything.
Listen as Amanda talks about:
- What skills a good market manager learns – even if they were ‘voluntold’ into the position
- How no two days are the same in such a diverse role
- Why they form partnerships with other organizations – including the Michigan Ag Council
- What steps they are taking during the coronavirus shutdown
- The most common questions you get about farmers markets
Carl Bednarski has dual roles – he’s the president of Michigan Farm Bureau and a crop farmer in Tuscola County. Five days a week, he’s full-time in the office in Lansing, leading both the agriculture and insurance sides of Farm Bureau. On the weekends, he’s with his wife Lisa and three adult sons raising sugar beets, dry beans, soybeans, and wheat. He said Lisa realized after 20 years that farming is his hobby, because there’s nothing he’d rather be doing.
Listen to Carl talk about:
- The perspective gained when getting an off-farm job before returning to the farm
- The resiliency and risk-taking involved in agriculture
- His favorite, most satisfying crop to raise
- His funny story about a humanely-raised animal and a Washington DC chef
- The basic values shared by people who are not going to move away
Since 2018, Pamela Ruegg has been the Chair of the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University. She’s had a variety of roles within the ag industry, including positions as a veterinarian, a faculty member at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Canada, and a technical services consultant. Though she’s worked in 39 countries and spent many years living in Wisconsin, she’s a Michigander through and through – her favorite spot to be is in front of a campfire watching a Lake Michigan sunset, she got married on Mackinac Island, and she loves dairy products, meat, and of course – pasties.
Listen as Pamela talks about:
- Her current pets and animal favorites
- Her outdoorsy interests, like kayaking and hiking
- Meeting her husband in a dairy barn
- Her overall goal, in every job, of being impactful
- The European and South-America-for-Beginners countries she recommends
As a Career Consultant at MSU in the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Jill Cords connects students with businesses to foster positive working experiences. On her second shift, she and her family raise cash crops and beef cattle in Charlotte. She’s also a 4-H leader in Eaton County. This year she plans to spend a week at the 4-H Fair, take a vacation, and watch her kids play many soccer and football games.
Jill talks about:
- Her career path that led to her very rewarding job
- The aquatic center she makes a point to visit
- The hot, high-demand jobs in agriculture right now
- Her optimism about this year’s harvest
- Why she already has plans set for two years from now
Dave Armstrong has been President and CEO of GreenStone Farm Credit Services since 2009. He’s on several industry boards, he’s treasurer at his church, and he works out daily. In fact, he and his wife Debra walk 2.5 miles almost every night – except when it rains. In 2020, he’s looking forward to the 16 technological initiatives GreenStone has ahead and combining work travel with fun. He and Debra have an adult daughter, Lindsey, who just bought a house, and she didn’t even need lending advice.
Listen as Dave talks about:
- How his internship led him to a career he didn’t know existed
- His parents’ farming background and his involvement in agriculture growing up
- Patronage Day, grants, and why loves working with people with a sense of humor
- How we are human beings, not human doings – and how that relates to volunteerism
- The game he plays with his coworkers to stay current with all new technology
www.greenstonefcs.com
Amy Laper of Anderson & Girls, is the second generation on her family’s Stanton farm. After graduating from MSU and working on an off-farm job, her parents asked her back, and she’s now been there for 25 years. They run a market, a gift shop, a bakery, a petting zoo, and have so many fall visitors, they can’t even begin to count them. On the side, Amy is the township treasurer and a basketball coach. Amy, her husband Alan, and her son Austin love going on fishing trips in the summer.
Listen as Amy talks about:
- How their business doubled when they added a free petting zoo
- How the Disney mentality is a goal for them
- Why her tongue-in-cheek title is Manager of Everything
- Which animal visitors like the most out of camels, lemurs, reindeer, fox, and goats
- Her family’s upcoming search for a tarpon
http://www.andersonandgirls.com/
Jolene Griffin is the Director of Industry Relations at the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Jolene is from a dairy farm in Hastings, where she spends a lot of time with her family, including her beloved nieces and nephews. She enjoys traveling to new places, participating in activities out of her comfort zone, and checking out everything new in the grocery store.
Jolene talks about:
- What she loves about working in the dairy industry
- Her two main goals with her nieces and nephews
- The amazing amount of technology on a modern farm
- A list of 23 things she plans on accomplishing this year
- Giving the sermon at her church – and then doing it again
Greg Shooks of Central Lake grows cherries, wine grapes, and small grains on his fourth generation farm, where he works with his brother and cousin. The wine grapes are new, because last year they sold their 550 head of cattle and built a winery – Cellar 1914, with a nod to the year his family started the farm. They actually built the winery in the same footprint they were housing the cattle. As Greg said, “We’re just like a country song now. We’re serving wine in an old cattle barn and parking in the feed lot.” Greg, his wife Jenny, and their three daughters enjoy boating and traveling – especially to warm places.
Listen as Greg talks about:
- How maraschino cherries are made, and what he knows you have in your fridge
- What two things you should never buy that he did – but enjoys
- Why having kids is like running a correctional facility
- How the first year of growing grapes really changed their direction
- Why he eloped with his high school sweetheart
https://www.cellar1914.com/
Isaiah Wunsch farms cherries and apples on Old Mission Peninsula, and he also owns a cherry and apple packing and marketing business. After graduate school at Michigan State, he worked for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation as their agribusiness specialist. He’s part of the Michigan Cherry Commission, his township board, the school board, and Michigan Farm Bureau. He enjoys touring farms in other countries, mountain biking, and cross country skiing.
He talks about:
- His first farm job as a 9-year-old
- His farm tours in Kosovo and Thailand, and his upcoming one in Columbia
- Why he came back to farming and what he likes best about it
- A farmer’s favorite apple, and the best time to eat cherries
- The intensity of 20-hour workdays during harvest
Cora Okkema is studying Livestock Behavior and Welfare under Dr. Temple Grandin at Colorado State University. Her interests include fresh heifer wellbeing, newborn calf care, and crossbreeding. She was born in the Netherlands and moved to the U.S. in 1999 with her family, where she grew up on their dairy farm. Before graduate school, she spent two and a half years as a herdsman on her family’s farm. She recently won the Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmers Discussion Meet, and she will be competing at the national competition in January. In her free time she loves what she calls the simple things, like bowling, going to new restaurants, and walking in the mountains.
Listen as she talks about:
- What she hopes to accomplish working with
- Temple Grandin
- What it was like to compete in the discussion meet
- How her family works together on the farm
- What Dutch food she loves
- Her upcoming first skiing trip
De Grins Oer Dairy Facebook Page
Cora’s LinkedIn
Elise Thorp started Trillium Wood Farm with her sister, Allie. They were both vegetarians, but they decided to experiment with raising meat for themselves and friends. Seven years later, they are raising hogs, lambs, chickens and turkeys as their full-time jobs. They handle all the aspects of the business from raising the animals, to farmers markets, to online sales and shipping. Outside of work, Elise loves to eat at different restaurants, go to music shows, and cook curry, which she fell in love with when she studied abroad in India.
Listen as she talks about:
- The questions her customers have about the animals’ diets, shelter, and harvest
- How she likes to hibernate in the winter
- The benefits of working with your sister
- The usefulness of farming Facebook groups
- Her interest in nutritional therapy
Trilliumwoodfarm.com
facebook.com/trilliumwoodfarm/
Caleb Stewart raises hogs, grows cash crops, and buys and sells farm equipment. After graduating from Michigan State, he started farming with his parents, Carol and Jim. Three years ago, he and his wife Teresa, along with their two kids, became sole proprietors in Bannister. Caleb loves traveling, going to Houghton Lake with his family, and volunteering for ag organizations. He is currently getting his private pilot’s license.
Listen as Caleb talks about:
- Why he calls his barn the Hog Hilton
- The three-year process to turn his crop farm organic
- How his parents’ lake house is one Disney movie away
- What different conversational topics there are for pilots
- What advice he has for new business owners
www.stewartfarmsmi.com
Mike Klumpp and his wife Jaime own AgMarvels, where they help hemp farmers grow, process, and sell their crop. They also grow their own hemp, as well as corn, soybeans, and wheat. Mike and Jaime are entrepreneurs, and the hemp business is just one of many of their current endeavors. Between farming, crop insurance, rental properties and four kids, they do find time to go south in the winters – then head back to the businesses they love.
Listen as Mike talks about:
- AgMarvels’ own brand of CBD products – for women and men
- How hemp is harvested, dried, and extracted
- His son, already a budding entrepreneur
- Why work is not really work to him
- What people mostly ask him about hemp farming
agmarvels.com
Jim and Jean Reverman grow and sell Christmas trees from Reverman Farms in Grand Ledge. They have recently started painting trees – not just green, but purple, pink, and even a patriotic red, white & blue. When he’s not shearing trees, Jim also works for the Michigan Department of Transportation. The couple has three adult children.
Listen as Jim talks about:
- Their Christmas tree that lasted until March
- The trees that keep their needles best, and the ones that are the worst
- The horse-drawn carriage, farm animal, and family experience they offer
- What islands he travels to for work
- How he accidentally became a tree farmer
www.facebook.com/Reverman-Farms-100927309347
Mike Mathis is the director of MSU Tollgate Farm and Education Center, which gives 22,000 visitors a year the chance to experience hands-on agriculture. From milking goats to growing kale, the farm offers a variety of programming and camps for the community. After growing up on a crop and livestock farm, Mike taught middle school in a windowless classroom and knew he liked the people part - but not the indoor part. He is beginning the Farm Bureau ProFILE leadership program, he plays vintage baseball, and he enjoys going to his favorite park with his wife Corinne and 10-month-old son Owen.
Listen as he talks about:
- Why you should take your shot even if you interviewer doesn’t seem too excited
- How he envisioned being Indiana Jones
- What ‘good food’ means to the farm visitors and him
- What it’s like to play baseball with 1865 rules
- How he helps organize the largest 4-H day camp in Michigan
www.canr.msu.edu/tollgate
Jeff VanderWerff farms in Western Michigan, where he and his family grow 2000 acres of corn, soybeans, and apples. He’s currently transitioning his orchard into an organic operation. A self-professed salesman at heart, he also started an ag retail business named Gold Coast Sales LLC. He lives in Kent City with his wife Alyssa, a cancer researcher, and two daughters. As an advocate of speaking about agriculture, he recently hosted Oprah on a tour of his farm. He loves Michigan State University sports, snowmobiling, and golfing every summer Wednesday – no matter what.
Listen as Jeff talks about:
- His past as a full-time firefighter
- Misconceptions about conventional vs. organic farming
- How important optimism is in a year like this one
- What happens when a kid says ‘Go get the key – I dare you’
- Why work shouldn’t be your entire life
James Weber of Weber Family Dairy milks 130 Jersey cows and raises crops on his Frankenmuth farm. A graduate of the MSU Ag Tech program and Cal Poly, (California Polytechnic State University), he returned to Michigan in 2015 to reopen his parents’ farm. He now works with his parents, Duane and Sandy. He recently was named Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator by the Michigan Milk Producers Association, and he was also elected Chair of the National Young Cooperators Program for 2020. He enjoys playing sports, finding inside work during the winter, and laughing about travel experiences – good or bad.
Listen as James talks about:
- How his girlfriend Kylie’s post about cats compared to all the others
- Why it’s hard to list all of the aspects he loves about Jerseys
- Why he moved from California to Michigan even though he doesn’t like the cold
- The many ways his mom is a watchdog
- Sand volleyball, golfing, and seeing places that take your breath away
www.facebook.com/weberfamilydairy
Hilaree Fraly is a BASF Innovation Specialist, which means she works with farmers to help plan their growing seasons and figure out solutions for their crop problems. Originally from Montcalm County, she started in FFA, graduated from Michigan State, and began working for the ag industry. She loves that her job consists of getting in her truck to talk to farmers, and that she can take her dog - Merle J. Haggard - to work every day.
Listen as she talks about:
- What millennial stereotype is the least accurate in her experience
- Why her internships were the best job training
- What presents she’s crocheting for her family (shhh)
- Her 2020 motto – it’s gotta be better!
- Her upcoming, very organized trip to Ireland
Instagram & Twitter: @hilareef
Dan Vogler owns Harrietta Hills Trout Farm LLC, the largest private fish farm in Michigan. For 22 years, he has been on the farm with his parents Jim and Katherine, his wife Susan, and their six children. He’s president of the Michigan Aquaculture Association, and he served on the Board of Directors of the United States Trout Farmers Association for a number of years. He’s also very active in Michigan Farm Bureau. He likes what his children call ‘productive’ hobbies, like cutting firewood – even though they have a propane furnace - mountain biking, deer hunting, and yes, even fishing.
Listen as he talks about:
- His standing lunch date with his wife
- What percentage of seafood is local vs. imported
- What fish eat when they’re not the same size as their peers
- Why homeschooling works well for his family
- Why you can’t immediately see the thousands of animals on his farm
harriettahills.com
Andy Rozendaal is the farm director at Eighth Day Farm in Holland, MI. The urban farm, which is right in the middle of a ripped-up parking lot, focuses on taking care of the land as well as people. The faith-based, non-profit also donates 10% of what they grow to low income families. Andy grew up on an Iowan dairy farm, went to Iowa State, and then entered the seminary. After serving a church for nine years, he felt a call to get his hands in the soil.
Listen as Andy talks about:
- How he didn’t listen to the advice not to date anyone from his church when he met his wife
- The most common question he gets at the farmers market
- Going on vacation when you already live in a vacation spot
- The 150-200 volunteers that come to work on the farm
- Upcoming Florida, camping, and kale-eating plans
www.eighthdayfarm.org
Brittney Rooney is an urban farmer in the Brightmoor neighborhood in Detroit. She, along with her partner Kieran Neal, started the two-acre farm with the long-term goal of growing an agroforestry system. While their 500 trees are maturing, they are direct marketing vegetables. Originally from Minnesota, after focusing on political science and environmental law at school, Brittney decided she wanted to be on the production side of agriculture.
Listen as she talks about:
- Buying the farm, house, and dream
- Diving in with blood, sweat, and tears…plus finding the right tool
- How she spends her three-month vacation
- Her biggest art project, and the next one coming up
- How you can be both a feminist and love domestic activities
Alison and Ben Sklarczyk own Sklarczyk Seed Farm LLC, which is one of the only hydroponic seed potato farms in Michigan, the other being a research farm at Michigan State University. They produce six million mini tubers a year, plus grow 1100 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and barley. They have two kids and are on their way of achieving their goal of them visiting 50 states before they graduate. They’re at 24, with 21 of them convenient locations for a potato meeting!
Listen as they talk about:
- The moment Ben knew he didn’t want to be a mechanical engineer
- Why Alison chose to work on the farm, and when she knew it was the right decision
- Their vast school, community, and industry involvement
- Grandparents bringing them chips from around the world – grown in Michigan
- The responsibility and reward of being an employer
www.ssfseedpotatoes.com
Jay Parr farms 1300 acres of sugar beets, soybeans, and corn. He works alongside his dad Jeff in Brown City, where he also lives with his wife Tara and daughters Millie and Hazel. A graduate of Michigan State University, Jay enjoys going to livestock shows, snowmobiling, and taking their camper on vacation and parking it perfectly.
Listen as he talks about:
- Why his daughters’ swimming lessons are the perfect place to answer farming and GMO questions
- How he and his dad speak to each other
- How being a picky eater is different than only eating what you like
- How they are preparing for their third child – not fast enough
- Why he’s trying to direct his girls away from sheep
Christie Apple is an agronomy and soil health specialist at Timac Agro USA. She is a self-proclaimed ‘soil nerd’ and loves everything to do with soil health and plant nutrition. She works with clients, trains farmers and other agronomists, and in her free time, farms her own land. She’s active in Farm Bureau, FFA, and 4-H. She and her husband - also an agronomist - have five teenagers. She enjoys her rose garden, playing the piano, singing in her truck, and spending time with her large family.
Listen as she talks about:
All the Apple comments she endures
Her farm upbringing and how it led to her career
How they are trying to guide their five kids
Why agronomy is like being at a crime scene
How growing hemp – a new crop – has different challenges
Facebook: CropScout Christie
Instagram: @cropscoutchristielee
twitter.com/capplechristie
Linkdin
Ben Randle is general manager at GDW Farms LLC, which is a turkey farm. After a career as an electrician, Ben took on a new role as a farmer, where he helps raise turkeys from one-day to 20-weeks old. In Hamilton, he’s the assistant basketball coach and school board president. He and his wife have one high school senior and three kids in college. (All four next year!) He loves hunting, kayaking, and never sitting still.
Listen as Ben talks about:
- How 20-week old turkeys are like ornery 18-year-old boys
- Why he became a part of the school board
- How he can control 28 buildings from his phone – especially useful at 2:00 a.m. in February
- Antibiotics, marketing, the attack on protein, and how to best care for animals
- Vacations with his wife, hunting with his kids, and joking about all of them
Lori Hedrick and her husband Jeff own The Wild Pumpkin, where families can visit a petting farm, navigate a 1000-bale maze, go down mega-slides, play in the corn box, eat warm donuts, and of course, get pumpkins. Outside of the farm, Lori also is a special needs teacher for students transitioning into independent life. After a devastating barn fire last year, Lori and her family were buoyed by massive community support. This season – with the right weather, a new barn, and a new parking lot – is already promising to be brighter.
Listen as Lori talks about:
- How their initial goal was to have the animals pay for themselves
- Why Buster the 29-year-old emu is intimidating to feed
- The story of their barn fire, and how their community rallied around them
- Her students and what she loves about them
- What exotic destination she and her family might visit next, and why
thewildpumpkin.com
Madeline Meyer is a senior at Michigan State University, majoring in animal science and minoring in food processing and technology. She’s from a dairy farm in Ionia, and she grew up being involved in the farm, 4-H, and FFA. She’s now active in the MSU Dairy Club, MSU Block & Bridle, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and is serving as the FFA Convention Director. At the World Dairy Expo, she and her team just took 5th place in the country. Outside of school, she rides horses, spends time with her parents and five brothers, and plays basketball with her intramural team.
Listen as Madeline talks about:
- What she loves about World Dairy Expo, and why she’s addicted to it
- Why their team motto is: ‘When in doubt, udder out.’
- Her internships on a California dairy and with Purina
- What unusual foods cows eat
- Her favorite cow, pictured here, that she got for her birthday
Sara Reisinger is the event planner and manager at Leaman's Green Applebarn in Freeland. This year, her family’s farm and agritourism business is celebrating its 130th anniversary. In addition to a corn maze, apple picking, and movie nights, they also host very popular goat yoga classes. Sara recently worked with her township to create an agritourism ordinance, represented her industry as the Michigan Apple Queen, and threw out the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game.
Listen as Sara talks about:
- Why agritourism is agriculture
- The Princess, Star Wars, and Santa events at her farm
- Her upcoming plans for an event barn
- Goat personalities, and how they resemble four-year-old boys
- Her favorite podcasts, and why she wishes she listened to more
www.greenapplebarn.com
Sarah Zastrow founded Bay Area Wellness to help people deal with pain, stress, and their mental health. She and her husband have a crop farm, plus she is from a farm, and she is invested in providing stress management resources to farmers. She enjoys traveling to new places, working with her husband and the other generations on the farm, reading – and sharing what she learned.
Listen as she talks about:
- The importance of dealing with mental health issues in farming and in all arenas
- How a proactive rather than reactive process appealed to her
- Her path in college and as an EMS
- How family dinners change when you meld two families
- What you remember when you go on vacation
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact Sarah Zastrow
989.859.5659
sarahz@mibayareawellness.com
Or visit https://www.mibayareawellness.com/
Noelle Nachreiner has the dual role of Executive Director of the Michigan Ag Council and Manager of the Agent Charitable Fund for Farm Bureau Insurance. Noelle and her husband recently moved from Indiana back to Michigan with their dog, Hank the Tank. Noelle’s past with 4-H and FFA made her want to work in the agricultural area, because she’s passionate about farming, food, communication, and ending hunger. She is a self-proclaimed leadership nerd, which means she’s exactly the person you want at any event you need a volunteer.
Listen as Noelle talks about:
- Her quirky new fixer-upper
- How her husband’s woodworking business got started
- Being a breakfast connoisseur
- Her work and travels as president of JCI, also known as the Jaycees
- Her first horse showing award - as a two-year-old!
Michigan Ag Council: michigangrown.org
Agent Charitable Fund: endhungerinmichigan.org
Claire Smith certainly didn’t want to work on her family’s seventh generation farm, but when her parents suggested trying to grow teff, she was intrigued. Teff is an ancient grain that’s a main ingredient in Teffola, a nutty grain granola they now make, sell, and distribute. It all started from a suitcase of grain brought from Ethiopia! One of seven children and a decided extrovert, Claire also makes time to meditate, exercise, and read.
Listen as Claire talks about:
- What teff actually is, and why they decided to grow a specialty grain
- How she loves to work with people willing to try something new
- Her meditation goals and app she uses
- What she likes to read alone in a diner
- How her Canadian background plays into her pronunciation
Teneragrains.com
When Triston Cole met his own representatives as part of his teenage 4-H Capitol Experience, he never pictured becoming an elected official. But after starting his own farm and becoming involved with policy, he changed his mind. When he’s not working for his constituents, Triston enjoys hunting, cross country skiing, fishing, and raising adults - not kids.
Triston talks about:
- Their farmstand incident that led to policy-making
- Being surprised by not one, but two bears on his porch
- His past success as a cross country ski racer
- His tenuous first date with his wife
- How as parents they try to support their kids, no matter their interests
www.tristoncole.com
Jeno Rivera is part of Urbandale Farm in Lansing, as well as Director of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Scholars Program at Michigan State University. She is a former high school ag teacher and professor in the MSU Residential College for Arts and Humanities. She roller skates, forages everywhere, and owns every tool on earth.
Listen as she talks about:
- Sewing, making her own soap, and her farming plans
- How Urbandale Farm started, and where it wants to go
- How she was probably not the best marketer for a vegetarian restaurant
- Food deserts, and how Lansing is making strides
- Her large family – she’s cousin #102!
www.lufp.org
www.canr.msu.edu/people/jeno-rivera
Kevin Robson grew up and still works on his family’s farm, called Robson’s Greenhouse, which started in 1929. He also works for Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance as an Agribusiness Specialist, and he is the Executive Director of the Michigan Blueberry Commission. He loves spending time at his family cottage on Higgins Lake, embracing the positive aspects of the Millennial stereotype, and supporting both his college - and its rival team.
Listen as Kevin talks about:
- Why his grandma was so sad when she saw the cottage for the first time
- His favorite vegetables and meat meal his mom makes
- How he didn’t believe the ‘if you love your job you’ll never work a day in your life’ until he lived it
- How he takes full advantage of the Up North experience in all seasons
- What his real friends call him
www.robsonflowers.com
Taylor Truckey is the Farm Engagement Manager at AgVend. She at first thought she wanted to work in another area, but her hobby farm and 4-H background convinced her she wanted to work in agriculture. She is helping pay off her student loans by running her own photography business, and she’s planning a big celebratory trip when she reaches her goal next year. She enjoys hiking with her dog, doing her side hustle, and communicating with her community of supporters – online and in real life.
Listen as Taylor talks about:
- Her aggressive use of Instagram and why she deleted Snapchat
- What she sacrifices to get what she wants
- Her love language and her Venmo info
- What kind of people make her want to work in agriculture
- How intimidating a German Shepherd puppy can be
www.truckandcophoto.com
Dede Beck of Uncle John’s Cider Mill is running a business that has the goal of giving people of all ages to do something together. She works in accounting, merchandising, hiring, training – you name it, all for the 50,000 visitors that come each fall weekend. She, her husband Mike, and daughter Lauren enjoy skiing in the offseason, bicycling on the road or trails, and racing up sand dunes just for fun.
Dede talks about:
- What the phrase ‘cider mill sheik’ means
- The best advice she got for the M22 Challenge run, bike, and kayak race
- How funny it is to see a snowboarder on skis
- The very specific questions visitors ask about growing apples
- The basic joy of cider and donuts
www.ujcidermill.com
Elizabeth Taylor is the Ag Relations & Communications Manager at Michigan Sugar. She’s in charge of a long list of events and programs, but her most recent exciting project is Cream & Sugar, a gourmet ice cream shop opening in Bay City. She likes being with her family on Lake James, running and lifting heavy weights, and working with farmers.
Elizabeth talks about:
- The Munger Potato Festival and the popularity of Figure-8s
- Bay City sugar beet factory tours - coming up soon
- Her most-favored, longest-used phone apps
Adam Dietrich is an apple and cherry farmer in Conklin. After starting as a pre-med major at Michigan State University, it took six months until he decided he wanted to work on his family’s farm. He switched over to horticulture, engaged in research, and has now been back on the farm for eight years. When he’s not checking on apples or working with Farm Bureau, he kayaks, hikes, and travels internationally.
Adam talks about:
* The kind of fires he has to put out
* His bucket list countries – plus why he can’t go back to New Zealand
* How his parents got 100% of their kids to live near them
* What he and his siblings make fun of each other about
* Why he loved his dungeon at college
AgroLiquid President Troy Bancroft discusses AgroExpo - going on Aug 13 & 14 in St Johns - what to expect at the show, his agricultural past, why he thinks farming education is valuable, and what he's personally looking forward to in 2019.
theagroexpo.com
agroliquid.com
Dru Montri runs Ten Hens Farm in Bath with her husband, Adam. She’s also the Director of Government and Stakeholder Relations for Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys watching her two daughters compete in sports, getting her hands in the dirt, and making horticulture a part of her daily life.
Listen as Dru talks about:
-
How a positive attitude about a lost purse helps change perspective
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How she builds relationships with customers
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The amount of energy students bring to campus, even in the crosswalks
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The importance of talking to her family over dinner
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Upcoming whale shark experiences, plus other big milestones
www.tenhensfarm.com
Brian Lesperance of Fenn Valley Vineyards left his career in technology to start a second one at a winery. His wife Gwen, whose family started the business in 1973, their two daughters, and Brian love riding around the farm and enjoying nearby Lake Michigan. Brian skis in the winter, cycles in the summer, and prepares meals – sometimes successfully, sometimes not – year round.
Brian talks about:
- What extreme farming means in the wine industry
- How much you have to train to cycle from Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge
- The class he and Gwen taught where they paired food and wine that DID not go together, just to prove it really makes a difference
- The most disastrous, inedible meal he ever made
- Music night, pizza night, and how his perfect day is pretty much a regular day
www.fennvalley.com
Andrew Chae of Fisheye Farms is an urban farmer in Detroit. He grows a variety of vegetables in a farm-to-chef business that provides for local restaurants. He’s a skateboarder, enjoys Brazilian music, and loves the first-generation farm he and his family have built together.
Andrew talks about:
- His firecracker dad - with many examples - and talented mom
- The organic farm experience he and Amy (wife and business partner) had in Brazil
- The best place for a late dinner in Detroit
- The many ways to prepare cabbage, including grilling
- Why his desire to make a positive impact in the world drove him to start a business
www.fisheyefarms.com
Matt Stutzman is a soybean, corn, and wheat farmer from Adrian. When he’s not farming, he’s spending time with his wife Maria and their three young children. He serves on state and national boards, has traveled all over the world (he even floated in the Dead Sea), enjoys fixing and improving machines, and is glad he went to Eastern Michigan University – not only because he liked it, but because that’s where he met his wife.
Listen as Matt talks about:
- The feeling he gets when he can fix something
- The winter he built two liquid trailers
- Hobbies he had before and after kids – golf and Legos, anyone?
- An all-American meal he wants after an international trip
- What he’s looking forward to this year and the next – and whether he’ll get it
Mark Daniels and his wife Miranda manage Bonnie Plants in Ithaca, which is a greenhouse operation that grows 175 different vegetable and herb transplants. Mark enjoys watching his sons play football, spends time chasing escapee goats, and loves going to his cabin in Sterling where he pretends they don’t have cell service.
Listen as Mark talks about:
- How the goats help them get rid of any extra money
- Why working in wholesale is a microcosm of what happens in social media
- How it’s impossible to walk past a historical plaque without reading it, and how it’s genetic
- What advice resonated when he was building a business at age 24
- How he felt speaking to people at the Japanese Embassy
www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Plants/158109500887521
Scott Maust is an egg farmer who also races sailboats. When he’s not on a boat, he’s figuring out how to best take care of chickens in new housing (heated floors!) and working with a team to give them the best nutrition. Born and raised in Pidgeon, Scott runs Farm Crest Foods with his family.
Listen as Scott talks about:
- The life-changing decision he made after listening to a loud muffler
- The race from Miami to Havana, his first experience of racing on the open ocean
- Why he enjoys the people involved in agriculture
- What questions he gets about chicken feed and manure
- Why eggs, bacon, and steak are always better than pasta
www.farmcresteggs.com/
Sharon Ostrowski and her family run SharKar Farms, (pronounced Share Care), an all-vegetable 10-acre farm in China, Michigan. Sharon jokes that everything is grown in China, and she makes this a reality by offering “weird” vegetables like a cucumber/watermelon type, Michigan artichokes, and 20+ varieties of tomatoes. She says she’s raised her seven children the same way she raises her plants – feeds them, treats them, and gets a healthy result in the end.
Listen as Sharon talks about:
- What satisfaction she draws from planting, growing, and feeding people with plants, and how she can’t grow anything on a tree
- Kayaking and boating, and the indestructibility of canoes
- The year she didn’t plant any red cherry tomatoes
- How younger farmers can learn from experienced farmers who already made mistakes
- No matter how many hours she works, she’s never sad, but always satisfied
www.facebook.com/Sharkar-Farm-311635237661/
Mike Noll lives in the southern thumb with his wife Jordan and four children, where he farms with his dad and brother. Not only do they milk cows, but they raise beef, corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar beets, alfalfa, and dry beans. He coaches, serves on several boards, and takes to heart the advice of former Michigan Farm Bureau President Wayne Wood: try to leave everything a little better than when you started.
Listen as Mike talks about:
- How an FFA advisor knew after overhearing an argument between him and his brother that they were great at communicating
- How he and Jordan met on her school field trip to the farm, and how all the parents were wishing they would date
- What difficult decision unexpectedly benefited their farm
- Why he prefers one lake over another, even if his wife doesn’t
- The beauty of the wheat harvest, and why
www.facebook.com/Noll-Dairy-Farm-Inc-315095325206193/
Darwin Eisenga is a potato farmer with 25 years of experience, and in his spare time, he loves tractor pulling competitions. He just traveled to Indonesia to visit his daughter, he has a son in college, a son on the farm, and a wife that works alongside him. His advice for people dealing with bugs on their potatoes? “Just buy them from us.”
Listen as Darwin talks about:
- How technology has improved accuracy, saved time and fuel, plus reduced the effects of sluggishness
- Why you miss the farm after you go away from it
- The delicate balance of the potato industry
- Telling people he’s a farmer in another country
- The relief of harvest and the freedom of summer – plus the list of things to do at home
Jennifer Wortz and her family raise chickens in Branch County for Miller Poultry. Their four children are learning the responsibility of taking care of 40,000 animals at once! Jennifer and her husband travel, go to their kids’ activities, and eat chicken prepared in a variety of ways – including with their teenager’s special hot sauce recipe. In this podcast, Jennifer also addresses the serious issue of the rural mental health.
Listen as she discusses:
- Why pigs should be engineered to just be bacon
- How great rural neighbors are – especially during a power outage
- The freedom and flexibility of homeschooling
- The building project for her sister-in-law
- How the rural mental health crisis has affected their family
Scott Powell is the nursery manager at Dutchman Tree Farms in Manton. Just before the dissertation for his PhD, Scott chose to go into business with his wife Laura’s family. He’s had a great time working with nine family members, an entire crew of workers, and wearing a tie only once – at a wedding. He and his family just went to Spanish school in Guatemala, compete in rodeos, and continue to battle their only real competition … plastic trees.
Listen as Scott talks about:
- The goat ministry in the jungle
- How everyone in his family gets their own Christmas tree – seven in all!
- Where he went as a wilderness guide in the youth therapy program, and what he learned
- How one tree’s genetic test can last one grower’s lifetime
- His favorite part of Christmas tree farming, plus how put them up so they don’t fall over
www.dutchmantreefarms.com
Not only was Laurie Isley raised on a farm, married a farmer, and has a farm of her own, but she also loves educating people about them. After a long career teaching agricultural education and advising for FFA, she moved on to teaching adult education and serving on the Soybean Checkoff Board. She travels extensively, but she also loves relaxing by her pond with a good book.
Listen as Laurie discusses:
- How insulation, tires, crayons, and more are made with soybeans – fun facts for kids and adults alike!
- Where she finds great faith in humankind
- How technology allows them to nearly farm by the inch
- How saying sure takes her on mission trips across the world
- How seriously farmers take their jobs, and why
https://ussoy.org/author/lisley/
Mat Stutzman of St Joseph County is both a poultry and crop farmer. He and his wife are raising four young kids while working along many other family members. He also works in high school sports media, and he does video outreach with his church.
Listen as he talks about:
- The upcoming solar energy project for their broiler barn
- How farmers are doing the best they can when it comes to community relations
- Why he chose poultry when his dad was thinking dairy
- What it’s like having four kids under age six, including a son whose entire life is tractors right now
- The benefits of impatience
Even though she didn’t work on her family’s farm when she was growing up, a love of science and a curiosity about how things worked led Stephanie Kipp home. She grows potatoes, peas, green beans, corn, and wheat as the fourth generation on her Edmore farm. She’s also the chair of the Potato Research Committee, and in her spare time, she and her husband take care of their son and a “hobby” herd of cattle.
She talks about:
- Growing vegetables for Gerber and working with their “I’m a Mom” campaign
- How chip potatoes differ from other kinds – and how to get the burnt kind
- How the late blight of the Irish potato famine is still a terrible disease they deal with every year
- The sheer satisfaction of watching a seed grow into food for other people
- How to make her own ranch dip for a perfect meal
Luke Marion started MIgardener to give inspiration and information to people gardening. He and his wife Sindy garden 365 days a year, including growing their indoor coffee and citrus trees. Together, they have grown into a retail location, an online store, and a strong social media presence. He is passionate about gardening, Michigan, and fresh food – whether he’s catching it or growing it.
Listen as Luke tells about:
- The wonder of how basil plants and Facebook brought him and Sindy together
- Why new gardeners shouldn’t be afraid of killing plants
- How he is obsessed with golfing and fishing
- His current home setup and future conservatory
- Why the advice to take things slow matters to him
https://migardener.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MIgardener/
Vicki Zilke and her husband Tom own two businesses – Zilke Vegetable Farm and Zilke Farm Kitchen in Milan. At their farm market, Vicki repeatedly heard from customers that they had great intentions on making healthy, tasty dinners for their families, but they had a lot of barriers. So, the Zilkes opened a grab-and-go meal kit store … and are celebrating its year anniversary!
Listen as Vicki talks about:
- Her first career as a nurse practitioner, and Tom’s first as a landscaper, and how they apply to their farm now
- The Michigan Good Food Fund, and how their shared values were a good fit for their business expansion
- Why she weeds for fun, and how a hoe is the best tool for angst
- How her mom raised educated, active community members
- Why she told every woman she saw “You were right!” after she became a grandma
- Their agri-tourism, sunflower field, and gift shop plans – plus, several parties!
https://www.zilkefarmkitchen.com/
http://www.zilkevegetablefarm.com/
Andrea Boughton of Marshall raises Angus cattle, corn, and soybeans. She’s the president of Calhoun County Farm Bureau and spends a lot of time educating students about ag. She also works for the Department of Defense (Northrop Grumman) as an operations lead, crews for hot air balloons, and recently traveled to the Ukraine and India.
Listen as she talks about:
- How farming is more than just food - like soybeans are used in making Ford car seats
- Where crewing for hot air balloons has taken her
- How a lot of business ownership is asking ‘which do you buy first?’
- What drew her to farming in the first place
- What she learned in her overseas programs, and where she’s going next
https://www.facebook.com/micalhouncountyfarmbureau/
Bryan Heffron of Heffron Farms Market raises cattle and crops and sells direct-to-market, in four retail stores, and online. His wife Katie also owns a pie fundraising business. They are the parents of three young children and are entering the sports phase of life, also known as the drive-your-kids-everywhere time.
Bryan talks about:
- Sneaking out to hunt and fish … for anything that will bite
- The number one question people ask him about the farm
- How technology changed how they raise cattle and grow crops
- The excitement of the first day of corn harvest
- Seeing their name on restaurant menus
http://heffronfarms.com/
https://www.facebook.com/apieceofthepiecompany/
Chris and his family live in Monroe County and grow corn, soybeans, wheat, plus some organic acres. He also is a sales representative for Actagro. Currently, Chris and his wife Rachelle spend a lot of time gazing adoringly at their 7-month-old daughter Adelaide. As a seventh generation farmer, his family has been farming the same ground since 1831 … which sets them up perfectly for a bicentennial party in 2031!
Chris talks about:
- His chance meeting with his wife Rachelle
- What makes them a winter family in Michigan
- How fun the never-ending process of buying equipment can be
- Why the tech crowd at the Consumer Electronics Show was amazed by farm machinery
- How tissue testing and sap analysis can show exactly what’s in a plant – and the excitement around that
www.actagro.com
Scott Ferry is a fourth generation dairy, beef, and crop farmer in Litchfield. He was Sparty in college, and now he brings that same enthusiasm to his farm and family! When he’s not working, he’s skiing, hiking, or keying his own farm truck.
Listen as Scott talks about:
- The blood, sweat, tears - and dancing - involved in being Sparty
- How he and his wife Ali celebrate the end of each harvest
- His favorite secret (now not-so-secret) gems in the U.P.
- Fulfilling a promise to his Navy pilot friend to visit
- The kamikaze stage of kid skiers
- First time - and cheapest time - dress shopping with his daughter
www.ferry-farms.com
www.facebook.com/FerryFarms
Luke DeHaan is a blueberry farmer in Ottawa County. After he graduated with an engineering degree and worked as a civil engineer for six years, he decided to join his wife and her family on the farm. They now run a processing facility, a farm, a market - and during the winter months, a snowplowing business. 90-hour weeks are the norm during the busy season, but it doesn’t matter - all of his kids say they want to be blueberry farmers, too!
Listen as he talks about:
- The positive aspects of brainwashing kids
- How weather rules his life
- His church and Farm Bureau involvement in his spare hours
- Monster truck events with boys
- The first app – and second app – he checks first thing in the morning
eatberrysmart.com
crossroadspropertyservices.com
crossroads-blueberry-farm.business.site
Shelly Hartmann of South Haven is a blueberry farmer at True Blue Farms. She and her husband Dennis, along with their family and like-family team members, run a blueberry farm that covers growing, packaging, retail, u-pick, online, and catalog sales. They have been called the largest blueberry growing operation in the country – plus, they grow cranberries and apples! Shelly serves on several industry boards, likes to go antiquing, and loves vacationing in her own hometown.
Listen as Shelly talks about:
- How blueberries are 100% consumable and the perfect fruit – no peel, pit, core!
- How u-pick helps make memorable experiences with your family
- The journey from 10-acres and different jobs to today
- How a tornado in 2016 ruined their packing facility
- National Blueberry Pie day and their events surrounding that
- What it means to have ‘blue blood’
Truebluefarms.com
Gregg Smyth worked at Phillips Orchards and Cider Mill as a hobby until he and Brian Phillips decided to make the family farm their full-time business. Gregg now runs the Gatehouse Market, enjoys the benefits of small-town living, and works as a flight attendant in his free time.
Listen as Gregg talks about:
- The long family history surrounding Phillips Orchards
- Forming relationships with local, talented artisans
- The length of time you have to spend worrying about apples
- Painting and working out as a form of therapy
- The path to selling hard cider as a new item
- Why sitting on patios is always going to be popular
http://www.phillipsorchards.com
Matt Scramlin has had a lot of roles, like a regional rep for Michigan Farm Bureau, a trainer at American Farm Bureau, an auctioneer, a meatcutter, and a sheep farmer, but through all of it he’s been one thing – a Farm Bureau junkie. Listen as he talks about his family’s long history with the organization, showing and judging sheep around the country, and how his work takes him through the food cycle every day.
He talks about:
- How a sheep breed’s cuteness factors into showing, with comparison to Westminster
- How he hit 44 states in one job
- His auctioneering gigs
- How he found out his grandma was big into Farm Bureau when he saw her in a picture with the governor signing legislation
- Movies, poker, and working with his family
- The approaching Super Bowl of sheep farming
scramlinsouthdowns.com
Ben LaCross is a cherry farmer in Leelenau County, the cherry capital of the world. He and his wife Kelsey are competing in Traverse City’s half Ironman Triathlon, he’s working on solving agricultural issues, they’re raising three kids going in different directions, and he’s focused on raising a great crop every year.
Ben covers:
- The charming story of how he met his wife, the Cherry Queen, on his cherry farm
- Why pits are really the pits
- Why he chose farming after college from all the other opportunities
- How his son wants to play in the NBA not only because he loves basketball, but because he would get summers off to work on the farm
- Struggles of cherry industry imports right now, and what he’s trying to do about it
- Writing, audio books, and how cherries are the perfect fruit
https://leelanaufruit.com/
Natalie Pennington is a “stay at farm” mom of two. She and her family have a farm market called Hearty Harvest, raise sheep, provide agtainment, and host dinners on the farm. She is the youth minister at her church, has gone on missions to Guatemala and Haiti, and is married to a man who joins in the 5-9 lifestyle along with his 9-5 job.
Listen as she talks about:
- The ‘What’s in my Food’ dinner on the farm
- Why going to the grocery store with babies is a nightmare
- What questions people ask her about food, and how great it is for them to see her daughter eating their fresh fruit
- How chores turned from something she had to do into something she was dying to do
- How not owning a tv adds to their farm lifestyle
- Her passion about serving people here and overseas
https://www.facebook.com/Hearty-Harvest-264996623537544/
Kelly Leach is a fourth generation farmer on Avalon Farms in Climax. Her family grows hydroponic lettuce, tomatoes, and vegetables. Listen as she talks about her beloved Michigan State Spartans, new food trailer adventure, coaching cheerleading, and how she will cook a meal for anyone … or give them a kidney.
She talks about:
- Family roles, and how they can read each other’s moods
- How great employees, as well as an adorable 11-year-old nephew, make farming enjoyable
- Golfing every month except January and February
- Teenagers, plus the good and bad about being an adult
- Her grandma’s special name for the Spartans
http://www.avalonfarmshomegrown.net/
Keely Efaw enjoys advocating for agriculture so much that she’s even earned a title - Michigan Miss Agriculture USA. She spends her time earning her associate’s degree in agriculture technology and spoiling her dogs, including a one-eyed bird dog. She’s looking forward to experiencing the excitement and sadness of her last year of cattle showing.
She shares about her:
- Love of animals and plan to work with them as a career
- Transition from having pets to raising farm animals
- Boyfriend’s love of animals, despite allergies and hives
- Inspirational teachers and career center guidance
- Moving from a city to the middle of nowhere
https://www.missagricultureusa.org/
Michael DeRuiter is a tart cherry, apple, and peach farmer in Hart, Michigan. After getting his MBA – even though he originally planned on leaving after an associate’s degree – he returned home to farm with his family. He and his high school sweetheart are married, raising a son they adore, and dealing with the alternating stressors and joys that come with a farm.
He talks about:
- Harvesting and the manual labor required, including thinning peaches to make them the right size
- Truly appreciating that his parents made him work on the farm
- Questions he gets on organics and GMOs
- Being outside, camping, golfing, and snowmobiling
- Jokes about fruit farmers not working in the winter
- 2002 and 2012, the two years of total crop loss he’s farmed through
- How he’s glad when the workweek of 80-100 hours goes back to 46-60 hour weeks
- His son - the best stress reliever
- The relief of the last day of cherries
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Farm/DeRuiter-Farms-Inc-374340520590/
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6014779231001/?fbclid=IwAR1EkkG8Iz2DpLNJPbpRn56W_U2oIVvalLqVQQFmQJgjNlRgAoByokcKj7Q#sp=show-clips
Ed McBroom is both a senator and dairy farmer who hails from Vulcan, in the U.P. Listen as he speaks candidly about playing Rachmaninov, directing the Norway City Band, how farming and family intertwine, and what a perfect day on the farm looks like to him.
He covers:
- How politics, teaching, and farming all come together
- How his wonderful family, colleagues, and staff are helping him through a difficult year
- Robots and footbaths for cows
- The amount of rocks in their soil, and why his Swedish ancestors picked their spot
- How much crop damage one bear can do
- Why people should be a part of their community, and not just online
- Where you might find a spouse that wants to farm
https://www.norwaymi.com/2197/Norway-City-Band
https://www.senatoredmcbroom.com/
Joe Ankley is an ag educator in Huron County. He also dairy farms, grows crops, raises grass fed beef, and leads the North Huron FFA. He’s also the 2019 winner of the Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmer Excellence in Ag Award. How does he have more time than everyone else?
He talks about:
- Purchasing 50 acres to grow soybeans
- The three greenhouses at school, including growing crayfish, shrimp, and 600 hanging baskets
- Kayaking trips around our beautiful state, including Turnip Rock
- Teaching ag lessons in every classroom in their school district, and the passion in students today
- Exploring Michigan and traveling around the world, including Africa, Japan, Europe, and Costa Rica
- Odd jobs on the farm
- Catering, and finding a niche market
Sites mentioned:
https://ankleyfarms.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/northhuronffa/
Amanda Kutchey from Macomb County runs a fruit and vegetable farm with her family, and she’s also a crop insurance agent for GreenStone Farm Credit Services. Aside from work, she likes to travel … and visit farms on her trips! Where do you find broccoli in the wild? Ask her husband.
She talks about:
- Wanting to be an engineer before finding out about the existence of agribusiness
- Eating fruits and vegetables right out of their fields, just like the three generations before her
- How customers become like family
- How she can’t stand tomatoes, even though people drive miles to buy them from their farm
- How crop insurance helps when Mother Nature decides to wipe everything out
- Being married to someone who isn’t from a farm – and broccoli origins
- Touring farms while on vacation, like a pineapple farm in Hawaii
- Snowmobiling, horses, and other fun activities around the country
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/kutcheyfamilyfarm/
Emily Crambell is the Education and Outreach Manager at the IQhub, the learning center for agricultural history, innovation, and exploration, and she and her husband also operate a dairy farm near Owosso. Throw in horses, kids, and roller derby skating … meet Crazy Horse!
She shares about:
- Being a former ag teacher
- Her husband’s septic business and environmental care
- Her farm-obsessed son
- How her love of Saturday Night Live eventually led her to teaching
- How accents help her in her jobs
- How big she was smiling the first time she drove a tractor
Kate Avery is Director of Marketing & Sales at Brewery Vivant, a brewpub, restaurant, and microbrewery in Grand Rapids. Brewery Vivant is also the winner of the Michigan Grown, Michigan Great Restaurant Full Service Award. Listen as Kate talks about how her history background helps her tell the rich and compelling story of craft beer.
She shares about:
Brewery Vivant’s triple bottom line approach to business
How they look for the best ingredients, talk to growers, and work to understand the farmers’ growing and raising processes
The explosion of hop farms in Michigan
How the ocean can’t compare to Lake Michigan
Her path to Brewery Vivant
How people express their talent through food and drink
Taking pride in our state’s agriculture
Meet Chris Creguer, a territory manager for Pioneer Seeds, plus a corn, soybean, wheat and dry bean farmer, in Michigan's thumb region. He shares about:
- An impressive airport feat...er,shin?
- How a debate about GMOs turned into a date, a wedding, five years and two kids.
- The joy of growing up on a cattle farm and how that evolved into a career.
- Revisiting a Super Bowl commercial
- Where family, running, football and faith have (and will continue) to take him around the country
- What he likes about living and working in wide open spaces.
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
- Michigan Corn Growers Association: https://www.micorn.org/mcga
Dani Dryer farms fulltime with her parents and sister to grow about 900 acres of crops including corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. The family also works on custom-tiling fields for other farmers. She shares about:
- Things that’ve changed on their farm since she and her siblings were younger
- The path that led her back home to her family’s farm
- A mental picture, including restaurant recommendations, of her area
- Places she’s seen while snowmobiling
- Roles she has on the farm and in the community
- Trips she took and has coming up through agriculture
- Her favorite farm companion and other great influencers in her life
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Family Fun at the Farm event: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFunAtTheFarm/
- Accurate ag books for your book barn: https://www.agfoundation.org/recommended-pubs
Meet Dirk Okkema, a dairy and sheep farmer from west Michigan. He also works fulltime as a member representative of a dairy cooperative. He shares about:
- A brief history of how his parents met and came to be farmers in the U.S.
- What’s involved in “lambing” season
- An overview of the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program
- Regional differences he notices while he travels an average of 120 miles per day
- What he enjoys doing outside of work and farming
- Where he’s traveled to get a break and relax (oh, and maybe see some cool agricultural technologies)
- Teams he follows closely
- What it’s like to have an open house/barn for 2,000 people
- A clear answer regarding antibiotics & milk (It’s tested multiple times to guarantee antibiotics are never in store-purchased milk. Ever.)
- A time he looks forward to every year
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Farm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/degrinsoerdairy/
- Breakfast on the Farm events: https://www.canr.msu.edu/breakfast_on_the_farm/
- Michigan Milk Producers Association: https://www.mimilk.com/
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
- Michigan 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/
Meet Sean Trowbridge, who spoke with us on a snowy day in Goodrich (near Flint). He started a farm with his dad a little over 10 years ago with pigs, bees, turkeys, a big garden and hops. Since then they’ve narrowed their focus, and he shares with us about:
- What’s needed to grow, package and sell his 17 acres of hops to Michigan brewers
- Challenges that may arise for their strong, aggressive-growing hop crop
- Equipment that’s either special ordered or fabricated on-farm
- How they optimize their harvest with labor-intensive work
- Qualities that may change the flavor profile of hops (terroir)
- Why the farm business was narrowed to growing hops
- What he enjoys growing in his family’s garden to feed their outdoor souls
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Learn more about Top Hops Farm at http://tophopsfarm.com/
- Hop Growers of Michigan (Chinook Cup Winners!): http://hopgrowersofmichigan.com/
- Michigan State University hop information: https://www.canr.msu.edu/hops/
Sarah Mathe farms with her husband and their two young children on her family’s centennial farm in southeast Michigan. They raise corn, soybeans and wheat, plus cattle and sheep. Listen in as she talks about:
- Stories about her four-year-old daughter’s unique dress-up experiences
- Family stories about time spent together and business transition
- Responsibilities she balances as a mother, farmer and volunteer
- Things she enjoys doing and eating
- A few new ventures she’s working on with family
- A brief discussion about Project Rural Education Day (RED)
- Her dream day
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/
- Farm Bureau Proud video: https://www.facebook.com/MichiganFarmBureau/videos/mark-and-sarah-mathethey-are-farm-bureau-proud/10156331000995490/
- Michigan’s centennial farm program: http://hsmichigan.org/programs/centennial-farm-program/
Travis Fahley raises cash crops, hay and straw with his dad. He shares about:
- The roles other family members play in the farm dynamic
- The balance between sports and video games
- Sport/school rivalries in just one household
- His least favorite job on the farm
- Foods they’re eating in their household
- Something Michigan should have more of & travel destination ideas
- Things he’s working on in the winter
- Community projects his family enjoys doing
- Really great advice he’s received in life
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmer810
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/MFB/Farmer.aspx
It’s time to meet Carrie Preston! Carrie shares with us about lessons learned on the farm and through teaching about agricultural science. Topics include:
- What interests people most about her farm
- How Carrie chose to become an agriscience educator
- Transitioning into farming
- What sports teams her household roots for
- An activity that is a relief from camo and guns
- A surprising destination their family is looking forward to
- The secret ingredient to cooking an animal we’re not sure how to classify
- One of the most beautiful places she’s seen
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- United Dairy Industry of Michigan grants: https://www.milkmeansmore.org/
- FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/
- 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/
- MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator program: https://www.mimilk.com/membership/member-involvement/young-cooperators/
- Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
Meet Brian Preston. He farms with his dad, uncle and cousin to raise 1,500 acres of crops, plus 10,000 pigs per year AND milk 800 dairy cows in south-central Michigan. In this episode, we hear about:
- How and why their dairy and pig businesses have grown
- Brian’s passion in the business
- A simple solution to feed “shrink” in your household
- Activities that fill up his family’s days
- Something surprising Brian learned as new duck hunters
- The best place to eat at Michigan State
- A new tool Brian received for Christmas that will change-up their family meals
- Highlights of farm tours
- How he learned that he was meant for self-employment and why a family business is special
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
- Quincy farm tour: https://www.facebook.com/PrestonFarms
- Brody cafeteria at Michigan State University: https://eatatstate.msu.edu/menu/Brody%20Square/
- FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/
- Clemens Food Group (hog plant): http://www.cfgcoldwater.com/
Mick Kokx retired from Michigan State University. He raises locally-grown produce and meat goats in southwest Michigan. He shares about:
- Why he traveled to New Orleans recently
- A crisis he dealt with that required a biochemist to find answers to
- Questions he’s asked about frequently, and who runs the farmstand
- Which Michigan sports teams – and players – he’s rooting for
- What career he would choose if he wasn’t already rooted in farming
- An animal that never gets older and is their neighborhood icon
- The difference between goats and other animals (just one of many characteristics)
- A job he really didn’t like as a newlywed
- Taking corn orders before corn is even planted and planning trips around travel
- A beautiful picture of the perfect day
- How he got his start in farming
- Stickershock of making a move from Baltimore to the Upper Peninsula
- Things he’s most thankful for in life
Stories mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Farm Bureau Promotion & Education: https://www.michfb.com/MI/Promotion_and_Education.aspx
- PBB crisis: http://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigans-toxic-1973-pbb-food-contamination-associated-more-health-effects
Meet Jennifer Lewis, a dairy farmer from Jonesville with a husband, three grown kids and three grandkids. Her family also raises corn, soybeans, wheat, hay and blueberries. She shares about:
- What she offers as a 4-H club leader and volunteer
- Changes she’s making in her blueberry business
- A hobby she enjoys but hasn’t had time for in three years
- The interesting challenges winter of ’78 brought to her family’s sheep farm
- What her family is known for in the community
- What she’s looking forward to in 2019
- A household staple
- The most fun part of being a grandparent
- Why she’s eating her words and couldn’t be happier about it
- What they made for their employees this year (sorry in advance to your tastebuds missing out)
- Great advice she has received
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Pleasant View Dairy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pvdairy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PVDairyGal1
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
- 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/
Jodi DeHate is a Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) Technician based in Missaukee County. She grew up on a dairy farm, but now she and her husband raise fruits and vegetables and she milks cows every other Sunday. Listen as she talks about:
- How she got started raising five acres of produce
- Creative ways she’s built a business with used materials
- Hunting and fishing with her dad
- How she and her husband met
- Career paths that led her to this point
- What good bugs she watches for and other farm practices
- The best advice she’s been given
- Plans for 2019
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program: http://www.maeap.org/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarmChicJodi
- DeHaVen Farm: https://www.facebook.com/DeHaVenFarm.Mich
- MSU Extension: https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/index
-
agmeetup2019: https://twitter.com/AgMeetUp2019
Nick Schweitzer raises about 20 varieties of apples with his family in West Michigan. Learn more about him and:
- Jobs on the farm outside of apple harvest
- Why he’s the ultimate planner
- How apples are stored for optimum fruit quality all year long
- A career choice with a shocking seasonal twist
- Unique features of his region and one way his family mitigates risk for frost
- A future change he and his wife expect to make on the farm
- What he would choose to drink every day for the rest of his life
- His dream day and the most beautiful place he’s visited
- Why he loves traveling to the east side of the state so frequently
- Who he would invite to dinner, and an obvious dessert he’d serve
Follow Nick’s farmlife on social media at:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schweitzerorchards/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoveMyMIApples
The Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Restaurant is celebrating 130 years of being in business! Amy Zehnder Grossi is a fourth-generation restaurateur and joins our podcast as a winner of the 2018 Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT restaurant award. Hear about:
- 1,200 seats in a restaurant focusing on family-style chicken dinners and German entrees, plus bakery specialties
- Where the restaurant gets its fresh potatoes
- How they work with farmers to supply the volume of food served in their local restaurant
- Their annual Michigan Dinner event and some of the products (and people who raise them) that’ve been highlighted
- The family members who ensure food quality
- What brought her back to her family’s business
- The challenge of living in a seasonal state
- The most-prepared foods in her household
- The coolest and most interesting parts about touring farms that she works with
- Balancing life at home and at a family business
For more information, visit:
- The Bavarian Inn Restaurant’s website: https://bavarianinn.com/dine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrankenmuthBavarianInnRestaurant/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bavarianinn/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bavarian_Inn
Elaine Bristol works for the Michigan Ag Council during the day, but at night she transforms into a shepherd! Elaine, a fifth generation Michigan State Spartan, raises sheep with her family. Listen as she tells about how she ignored her instincts on a flight, the joy on people's faces at Disney World, the beauty of a dead end sign and how many wool items of clothing she sports daily. She covers:
- Providing a tasty salad bar for her herd
- The amazing utility of a shepherd's crook
- How grafting works with animals, not just plants
- Her upcoming wedding
- Becoming a chronic volunteer at the local fair
- Fitting into a millennial stereotype
- Finding love in 'plane' sight
- Living where others only vacation
- Beauty on land and in the sky, including eagles
- Why cheese and bread are the best foods
- Taking care of her grandma, who had Alzheimer's disease
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Find more farmer stories like Elaine’s at https://michigangrown.org/
Meet Annie Link, a multi-generational dairy farmer who milks about 2,000 cows and raises crops in West Michigan. Her family’s farm started in 1915 when Annie’s great-grandfather married the farmer’s daughter. She and longtime friend (and podcast host) Carla visit about:
- The inspiration behind hosting tours for neighbors and other visitors
- A business transition that allows for more community engagement
- An adorable adopt-a-cow program
- A sports legacy that is continuing and an explanation of a “mat maid”
- Training…or not…for marathon running
- Where an obsession with cheese has led Annie
- A life-changing experience
- The things she appreciates about Michigan
- A surprising detail about her lifestyle…or should that be hairstyle?
- The best advice she’s been given in life
- What her learning goals are and how they fit around doing laundry
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Farm website: https://www.swisslanefarms.com/
- Dairy Discovery: https://www.facebook.com/DairyDiscovery/
- Swiss Lane Dairy: https://www.facebook.com/swisslanedairyfarms/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dairydiscovery
Ben Smith is a husband and father of four. He works with his father- and brother-in-law to grow wine and juice grapes, corn and soybeans in southwest Michigan. He also serves as the Executive Secretary for the Michigan State Horticultural Society. Get to know him and the roles he balances, covering:
- The main things he’s working on like one of the largest specialty crop shows in North America; combatting grape berry moths, fighting plant diseases and finding labor; and trimming grapevines
- Where his juice grapes end up – get excited for this local product, Michiganders!
- His roots in asparagus and cherries…and being an aerospace engineer obviously
- The course of his career and flight simulation
- What his four daughters like helping their Papa do during harvest
- The coldest job that leaves a person chilled to the bone in winter
- A unique seasonal gift he and his wife enjoyed their first autumn living in Florida
- A meal everyone in their household is enjoying right now
- The timeline farmers must get their semi-trucks loaded with grapes to the processing facility
- The most beautiful places he’s seen in the world
- The best advice he’s been given regarding change
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Great Lakes EXPO: https://glexpo.com/
- Follow Ben on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bendsmith83
Meet Ben Tirrell, whose family has owned the same farm for more than 100 years. They raise sheep and beef cattle, plus corn, soybeans and wheat. He shares about a variety of topics including:
- What he can tell about a farmer’s personality right out of the gate
- A few unique challenges of farming near the city
- Favorite family traditions with his two daughters
- How he spends time when he’s not working full- and part-time
- A worry he has for our future
- A skill he tries to focus on both professionally and personally
- A sport that should be featured on ESPN
- Ways he’s involved in his community beyond raising food
- The best advice he’s been given
- What’s been different about going to school now
- Ways that farmers are reaching out to others to be more open about farmlife
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- MDARD Right to Farm program: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1599_1605---,00.html
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
Meet Tony Stefani, husband and father of four, who works with his dad to grow cut-your-own Michigan Christmas trees. He and Carla visit about:
- What it’s like to work all year for a business open nine days
- What you should do when you visit a U-Choose/U-Cut farm
- A family Thanksgiving tradition
- The different scents of tree varieties (you may remember this from last year’s Harvest Hangout with Tom Trechter)
- How he spends his time when he’s not working two jobs and completing a bachelor’s degree
- A book recommendation
- How Michigan Christmas trees get their (lengthy) start
- His favorite meal with endless possibilities
- His favorite quest with kids
- A more famous Stefani with a similar lifestyle (ha!)
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Hillside Christmas Tree Farm: https://www.hillsidechristmastreefarm.com
- Farm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HillsideChristmasTreeFarm
- Michigan Christmas Tree Association: https://www.mcta.org/
Meet Zack Snider, a young farmer who raises pigs, turkeys, corn and soybeans with his family in West Michigan. He talks with us about:
- The most surprising thing about him (spoiler: it’s not far from having a seasonal werewolf running around the house)
- The difference between male and female turkeys
- A skill he has had since perhaps before he could walk
- A remodel project he’s working on
- Neat technology he and his dad work with to do the best job they can
- Barns with names…that are relevant for a very important reason!
- Sounds his son makes and other fun things Sawyer is learning
- Setting the record straight about family business in animal agriculture
- Three people he might invite to [Thanksgiving] dinner
- Family holiday traditions
- Things he’s most thankful for in this life
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- GreenStone FCS: https://www.greenstonefcs.com/resources/partners-magazine/2018/Fall-2018/10152018-rolling-with-the-changes
- Michigan Pork Producers Association: http://www.mipork.org/
- Michigan Turkey Producers, a co-op of 15 farmers: http://www.miturkey.com/
Meet Sam Krhovsky, a farmer who has corn, soybeans and wheat, plus a roadside stand. Off the farm, Sam was an agronomist and is now a sales manager for DEKALB®/Asgrow. Listen in as she talks with us about:
- How her plans shifted from wanting to be a physical therapist
- What she enjoyed most about the other side of the Mississippi River
- The most beautiful places she’s traveled
- Her favorite Michigan expressions and other lifestyle changes
- An opportunity to step outside of her comfort zone
- A balance of products (GMOs and non-GMOs) that exist to meet consumer demands
- The thing (actually, people) she’s most thankful for in life
- Questions she often hears at the farm stand that are unexpectedly complex
- How a company rebranding may open doors to more conversations like this one
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sassyagronomist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sassyagronomist/
- GMO Answers: https://gmoanswers.com/
Meet Brian Pridgeon, a seventh generation pig farmer who also seasonally grows corn, soybeans and wheat with his brother, dad and uncle. He shares lots of laughs with Carla about topics including:
- The obvious connection between a master’s degree in communications and raising pigs
- Where he met a woman who said yes to being a farmer’s wife
- A life-changing experience post-Thanksgiving three years ago
- Where he’ll be traveling at the end of harvest and this winter
- The job he dreads most on the farm and another job that is a surprisingly neat experience (note: not “neat” as in clean!)
- Songs he’s playing on the piano lately, following a 2-hour singalong concert
- The perfect pairing for Ernie Harwell’s voice on the radio
- What he’s learned from his dad and uncle
- Technology they’re using that helps cut down farmer fatigue
- Something he wishes Michigan had more of
- What he would do for a career if he wasn’t a farmer
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1572_2878-8251--,00.html
Meet Allyson Maxwell. She is a corn, sugarbeet, soybean, wheat and seasonal pumpkin farmer raising two boys and a farmdog. Whew! She makes a minute to chat about:
- How a healthy garden became a 12-acre business venture
- Why sugar differed where she grew up in Kansas City, Kansas
- Food labels, including what is a GMO? How about genetic modification vs. plant breeding vs. genetic engineering?
- Should you wash your produce?
- What kinds of products can be found in her grocery cart?
- Her baking dreams
- What activities their family does together
- A technology that may have a future on their farm
- A bug bite that led her to where she is today
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AccidntlFarmGrl
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accidntlfarmgrl/
- Farm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaxwellsPumpkinFarm/
- Farm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxwells_pumpkin_farm/
Meet Nicole Heslip, a farm broadcaster with dairy farm roots in southwest Michigan. She talks with us about being a media professional among these other topics:
- A farm growth story of her family’s first-generation farm and agribusiness
- Applying to college to chase her dream to become a state FFA officer
- The worst job she had related to spreadsheets
- An anniversary when she and her husband laughed so hard they cried
- Buying and opening a business, renovating a house while buying a new one AND parenting all at once
- The best place to attend a beer festival in Michigan
- Why she drives so much in the winter
- Her guilty pleasure foods
- Maximizing the strengths of individuals for the love of food and beer
- Fitness secrets pre-pregnancy and pre-baby and how things have changed present-day
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Brownfield: https://brownfieldagnews.com/brownfield-members/nicole-heslip/
- Michigan FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
Meet Carla Schultz, a livestock and crop farmer working alongside her husband, four kids and her parents in Michigan’s “thumb” region. Try to keep up as Carla (and Carla!) plow through the topics of:
- Teaching young people about careers as hydrologists & plant scientists beyond raising animals
- What she likes to do for fun
- Her honest kids and toning down a competitive spirit
- The meal that’s a good fit for everyone in their household
- The best place to vacation away from farm tasks
- Her husband’s journey from the Marines, carpentry and welding to managing their farm
- Rebranding a business name
- A book series she recommends for fans of murder mysteries
- Building a barn house and other business goals
- What it was like to commercially clean a food processing facility
- Creative solutions to fitness working into a life routine
- The best advice she’s received in life
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- FARM Science Lab: https://miagclassroom.org/lab/
- CommonGround of Michigan: http://findourcommonground.com/blog/community/michigan/
- 8 Plates Farm website: https://www.eightplatesfarm.com/
- Mayville Sunflower Festival: https://villageofmayville.org/sunflowerfestival/
Agrifit challenge: https://www.facebook.com/agrifitchallenge/
Meet Kristi Keilen, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, who milks 450 cows three times a day and raises crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, with her husband and their three-year-old son. Kristi and Carla have a fast-paced conversation about:
- How much help is a three-year-old on the farm?
- What cows eat, straight from a dairy nutritionist
- What she does for fun
- Outfits she and her son live in
- Home architecture that keeps the mess out of sight and out of foot-traffic
- Being employers in a non-glamorous setting and in tough economic times
- Her favorite Sunday morning tradition
- The farthest she’s traveled away from home and her family’s favorite Michigan beach spots
- The most interesting thing she’s served in a bun
- A philosophical question answered matter-of-factly: What is a GMO?
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Once Upon a Dairy: https://www.facebook.com/onceuponadairy1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristiKeilen
- Family fun at the farm: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFunAtTheFarm/
- UDIM & Great Dairy Adventure: https://www.milkmeansmore.org/great-dairy-adventure/
Meet Maria Brown, a writer for a local newspaper and a magazine freelancer, plus a grain farmer with her husband and kids. She visits with us about:
- What she enjoys writing about
- Additional things she and her husband grow beyond corn, soybeans and wheat
- A blossoming career writing about moderately successful gardening
- Other jobs she would consider dabbling in
- The food their household agrees on
- Where she learned how to deadhead flowers
- What it was like studying for a semester in Washington, D.C.
- What energizes her and allows her to dream a little
- Someone she’d like to job-shadow
- Places she’d like to travel and other goals
- The things she’s most thankful for in life
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariabbrown
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariabethbrown/
Meet Kyle McCarty, a technical fourth-generation farmer who works alongside his dad and uncle on 400 acres. Aside from working fulltime and completing wood projects, he talks with us about:
- A look-back at analyzing business options like when to sell their dairy cows
- Bringing new life to the farm with their mom-and-baby-cow-pair (cow/calf) business venture
- An explanation of greenchop, fresh food at its finest
- Working with a team of five people for the state’s Right to Farm program
- The challenge of hunting with a non-cheater bow and dock-fishing
- Rural romance at county fairs
- Using high school wood shop skills to build wood projects
- A fascination with entomology and its tie to food health
- Dirty – and dangerous – jobs on his farm
- Great festivals and events he enjoys
- Uncle vs. nephews: Little pranks that didn’t stand a chance
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Right to Farm: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1599_1605---,00.html
- MSU Extension: http://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/
- Michigan FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/
Meet Amanda Carey Goodfellow, a farmer who works alongside her dad and grandfather on about 1,000 acres and who milks 180 cows using robot milking machines. She takes a break in the field with us and talks about:
- An in-depth visual description of her robots that milk cows
- Remodeling a home and barn and getting married all in a year
- How she blows of steam when the day’s work is stressful
- What a fun day on the farm looks like for three peas in a pod
- The age she knew she didn’t want to be a lawyer
- The No. 1 thing she worried about looking good on her wedding day
- A realistic viewpoint of what success means to her
- How she convinced her dad that she was dedicated to farming
- Being involved in Farm Bureau, Michigan Milk Producers Association and local 4-H
- Some similarities and differences between her farm and one she interned with
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mooovingthroughlife/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandajocarey/
- Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
- Michigan Milk Producers Association: https://www.mimilk.com/
- Michigan 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/
Meet Julie Darnton, an MSU Extension educator who works in community food systems, interfacing with community members to recognize the value of buying local products. Julie works with farmers markets, institutions and the public. She tempts your tastebuds in this interview and enthusiastically covers:
- Food choices that exist through simply purchasing options
- Being prideful of our Michigan hometeam
- Getting closer to agriculture as she worked to grow and develop communities
- Why farmers market hours are limited
- Global market options and food safety systems that are in place
- What foods she couldn’t go without
- Foods on her cooking and baking bucket list
- Social gardening and learning best practices to battle woodchucks
- The best places to visit in Michigan and making milestone trips
- Thanksgiving innovation for the ultimate stuffing crustiness
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
MSU Extension: http://www.canr.msu.edu/people/julia_darnton
Meet Katie Eisenberger, a teacher and budding farmer who was raised on a dairy farm who’s now helping students and her own family discover the wide world of agricultural careers. Join us as we talk about:
- A career with many twists and turns with one true foundation
- Guiding rural students to solve problems in their field and be responsible
- The difference of commitment and involvement
- Converting a pole barn to a home for her five-person family
- Using technology for an ADHD organizer tool
- An explanation of modern and old-school meshing together on farms
- The reason she’ll never want to use a camper again
- Making connections for students to take their work to the next level in life
- Favorite seasons & trudging through the season of life raising little adults
- The things in life she’s most thankful…and maybe a bit teary…for
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieeisenberger/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreckenridgeFFAChapter/
- Michigan FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/
Meet Dr. Marissa Hake, a veterinarian who drives 4-6,000 miles each month to work with farmers and their animals throughout three states. She and her husband also farm just a few miles outside of Michigan. Hear her “tails” covering:
- What it’s like to oversee the health and wellness of 30,000 veal calves in a three-state region
- The things she does when she’s not working with farmers and their animals
- How the scope of a veterinarian’s role has changed on farms since the 80’s
- The job she hated in college
- How each dream day starts and ends
- A favorite tradition involving the Mackinac Bridge
- What’s on her musical playlist and audiobook list
- Her best fitness advice
- What her biggest financial goal is at this time and how she defines success
- The biggest risks she’s taken in life and her greatest influence
- A discussion of fashion
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calfvet/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vealvet/
- Antique tractor drive: http://www.mackinacbridgecrossing.com/
Meet Matt Schaller, leader for Ag Community Relief, an association helping communities struggling through natural disasters. He makes time to talk about the efforts with us and touches on:
- Stepping up for farmers beyond FEMA and American Red Cross efforts
- What it’s like to show up with a handshake and a smile to make a difference in people’s lives
- Addressing needs as they come – from largescale to local, small disasters
- Utilizing others’ specialties
- How some farmers might prepare for worsening weather conditions
- The reason Matt is involved in Ag Community Relief
- Ways people can help rural people in need after a natural disaster
- Building a network of individuals and resources through leadership and non-traditional media
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- https://www.agcommunityrelief.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agcommunityrelief/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgComRelief
Meet Andrea Jorgensen, an artist who knew nothing about cows until meeting her husband. The couple owns a dairy farm in mid-Michigan. Andrea shares some great tidbits about life including:
- Transitioning from drawing to a surprise painting being a successful start to her business
- What balancing time is like between painting, parenting and farming
- Find out what her second-favorite animal to paint is
- After four years of living on the farm, the No. 1 thing that’s still surprising
- Her favorite food (hint: it’s a beverage!) that she’d choose every day for the rest of her life
- Making a vacation out of a 30-minute drive or traveling to cow sales across the world
- Starting something that makes you nervous and getting better in the process
- A secret talent that earned her a national team award
- The best advice she’s ever been given to keep things in perspective
- A whirlwind romance thanks to Mark Zuckerberg
- Who to believe when it comes to farm information
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- https://www.artworkbyapj.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/artworkbyapj/
- https://www.facebook.com/artworkbyapj
Meet Ashley Messing-Kennedy, a dairy farmer who is raising her family on the farm where she grew up, and using new technologies to do so! Find out what’s on a modern farmer’s mind including:
- Having a baby in November while farmers are in the field
- What makes up a cow casserole
- The struggle of standing in front of the fridge waiting for inspiration
- How it’s working to be married AND be co-workers
- Cheeseburgers in paradise
- Running for Team Chocolate Milk
- Covering the bills and making assessments in business as new, young farmers
- Charitable giving to local and regional food pantries in the 10 Gallon Challenge
- Themed weddings and nurseries
- Making time to blog…and go to doctor appointments
- Raising strong willed children on the farm…with daycare assistance
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Messy Kennedy: http://www.messykennedy.com/
- Team Chocolate Milk: https://www.milkmeansmore.org/team-chocolate-milk/
- 10 Gallon Challenge: https://www.dairyherd.com/article/dairy-friendly-social-media-challenge-10gallonchallenge
Meet Angie Setzer, who is responsible for buying and selling grain (corn, soybeans and wheat) from farmers. Listen in as she talks about:
- How a person gets started in this job…even if unconventionally
- Putting your eggs (and other foods) in more than one basket
- Working by way of “trial by fire” and managing risk
- Learning your ethical compass in less-than-ideal situations
- Transitioning from a career being her baby to...motherhood and step-grandmotherhood
- Presenting a breakout session in high heels while holding a child
- Serving sandwiches with fancy mustard
- Living life positively
- Finding comfort in solitude but being able to speak to a room full of people
- Setting the record straight about family farms and digging into the layers of agriculture
A link mentioned in this podcast is:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoddessofGrain
Meet Jed Welder, retired Army Ranger who returned to Michigan to farm. Jed considers himself a small farmer, and works with 33 different land owners to raise 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and oats. Listen in as he discusses:
- The best office he’s ever sat in
- Transitioning from the Army to farming
- Raising kids on a farm and fitness regimens on the farm
- Putting plants first before social events
- Giving directions in farm country
- The differences between isolation on a farm and being in a military unit
- Setting goals to be efficient, doing more with what he has
- On balancing community goals of sportsmen and farmers
- Building relationships with people around you
- The speed limit and farmers’ sense of urgency
Meet Rita Herford, a diversified Michigan farmer who grows soybeans, edible dry beans, wheat, corn & sugarbeets. She talks about several things including:
- Finding time for family during farmwork hours
- Having a baby [quickly] during planting season and self-employed “maternity leave”
- Managing expectations for a 2-year-old who expects the fair to be like a movie
- Getting an email from The White House and clearing a schedule during harvest season
- How sports medicine and physical therapy goals turned into agricultural research and sales, which then turned into farming fulltime and wondering where time has gone
- A dream day including behaved children and no cooking or cleaning
- The farmkid shuffle if they’re sick on a weekend
- Breaking stereotypes of peoples’ images of a farmer
- Combining households upon marriage…and then making changes after babies are born
Twitter: https://twitter.com/herfordrita
Facebook: Gentner-Bischer Farms - https://www.facebook.com/GentnerBischerFarms/
Shoutout to Stephanie, a fellow Michigan farmer, Rita’s college roommate, who raises Rita’s favorite food: https://youtu.be/t4TPRTtyjeU
Kellogg’s Sustainability campaign: http://www.openforbreakfast.com/en_US/content/sustainability/safe-food-for-families.html
Meet Nicole Wren, a Michigander who started a dairy farm with her husband, Brad. Nicole talks about a variety of topics including:
- Reasons they started a farm (and what significant details were left out!)
- What life lessons their three kids are learning on the farm
- The roles that’ve changed between Nicole and Brad as their business has progressed
- What Nicole does when she’s not working on the farm (T-shirts anyone?)
- Mixing up the best toppings for burgers
- In ten years of farming, the most romantic, heartfelt memory, which, of course, included cows
- The best beaches in Michigan
- Business risks like bottling milk and farm tours, and using creativity
- The best advice Nicole ever received
- Should the next generation continue their farm?
Sites mentioned in this podcast:
- Michigan Farm Girl blog, Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest: http://mifarmgirl.com/
- Laura Lynette Shop: https://lauralynetteshop.com/