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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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:...

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...

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...

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?...

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 family dairy farm near Owosso. Throw in horses, kids, and roller derby skating … meet...