Our Story

Want to feed your family healthy, nutritious food? We can help! We raise grass-fed beef and lamb and grow organic dry beans and grains that you can feel confident about eating.

We’ve been farming at this lovely spot in West Michigan since 1992. While we are first-generation farmers, we couldn’t do what we do without the help of our parents and our adult children.

Over the years, we’ve learned to pay careful attention to the soil and its health, encouraging natural biological processes that increase plant nutrition and help us avoid pesticides. We firmly believe that if you start with healthy soil, you will raise healthy plants and animals, which adds to the health of people who eat what we produce.

We raise Belted Galloway beef (the oreo cows) that is 100% grass-fed and certified organic. In addition, we offer grass-fed lamb and wool from our flock of Polypay sheep, which is known for its high-quality wool and mild-tasting lamb. 

We also grow many different varieties of heirloom dry beans, as well as corn (for our delicious corn meal and grits/polenta, ground locally) and small grains like wheat, oats and barley. All of these animals and crops work into our planned rotation, making the whole sustainable system more than just a sum of its parts.

Environmental Stewardship

We focus on producing healthy food options while revitalizing the land for future generations. To accomplish this, our farm undergoes regular inspections to maintain the following certifications:

USDA Organic:

A nationally recognized label, USDA Organic certification requires farms to meet a certain set of standards, focusing on eliminating the use of synthetic chemicals. Our beans and grain are raised without the use of any pesticides.

 

Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP):

MAEAP verification holds farms to a different set of standards than organic certification, focusing on the environmental impacts of a farm. MAEAP verification ensures that a farm is working to mitigate soil erosion, being a careful steward of nutrients, and reducing any other environmental risks they may have, from water use to fuel storage. Learn more at www.maeap.org

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Why do we farm this way?

it's all about the soil