Our Story

When I was in college, I used to go on Habitat For Humanity projects during breaks. One year, I invited my then boyfriend, Ryan Romeyn, to go on a HFH project in Tennessee, and then to visit it’s headquarters in Americus, Georgia. After saying “Happy Birthday” to Millard Fuller (in person… he’s so nice!), we headed to the farm community where Millard was inspired to start Habitat For Humanity. The farm is called Koinonia Partners, and it had an organic garden.

We were invited to stay for a few days. Maybe it was the fact that it was spring time in southern Georgia and we were in love, or it could have been the taste of the surprisingly sweet and crunchy turnip we shared in the pecan orchard, or maybe it was simply the idealism and God-centered vision at Koinonia that inspired him, but something stirred deeply in Ryan’s heart about that garden.

Ryan was inspired to plant his first garden that same spring in northern Michigan at the Bay Area Adventure School in Traverse City, where we were teaching. Later that summer, he brought me to that garden to ask me “to walk through life’s journey” with him! (Yes, that was a marriage proposal, even though he plopped a pair of leather sandals into my palms, instead of slipping a ring on my finger.)

Soon after we were married, Ryan interned for short time with Dave and Pat VanDyke at Sky View Farm in Maple City. Then we headed back to Koinonia Partners, in Plains, GA, for an internship. After six months there, Ryan went to school for sustainable agriculture in North Carolina at Central Carolina Community College, where farmers taught the classes and tuition was affordable! Students were also required to intern on several farms and put in over 400 hours in hands-on training. He then went on to work for Wagbo Peace Center in East Jordan as the farm manager. In 2006, we switched to running our own business out of Wagbo Peace Center and then moved our business to our own land in 2008, which is located at the northern tip of Torch Lake, near Eastport, MI.

The story about how we came to live in this lovely part of the world is too long to tell here, but I can tell you that it involved years of praying, (We believe in God's love and providence for us, and have let Him have charge of our lives, though imperfectly over the years,) searching, (Ryan was more knowledgable about the land for sale in this region than most real estate agents in three counties), and an angel. Although we had already purchased 13 acres between East Jordan and Boyne City, we had outgrown it (farming-wise), before it came time to build our home. Our angel knew Ryan, saw his work over the years, and enjoyed the many vegetables he grew. She also owned a fine piece of farm land on the north tip of Torch Lake and she offered to sell it to us at a price we could afford! Not a day goes by that we don't feel blessed beyond measure to be here, in this beautiful spot, doing what we love while raising our children. Can anyone tell why we named our farm what we did?

Fast forward to 2010: A typical day on the job? Depending on the time in our growing season, Ryan’s mind is on managing the gardens: cultivating, planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, tilling, etc. Depending on the day, he may be directing and participating in the harvest, washing and packaging of shares, market, restaurant and grocery store produce. The older kids and I may be with him in that work,or I may be with the younger kids inside, trying to balance mothering, homemaking, handling correspondence, bookkeeping and publishing the newsletter. Fridays, the little ones are usually watched by friends as Ryan and the boys harvest and ready food for CSA and markets, I attend the Elk Rapids Market, and as we greet members who pick-up on Friday evenings and get up early to pack for and attend farm markets in Traverse City and Boyne City on Saturday.

Our biggest challenge? Creating balance for our family amid the work. Once spring is in full bloom we are very busy. And when the csa and farm markets start, we are very very busy. (Did I mention, that I also teach preschool from September to May?) We want to be able (and our children to be able) to look back at this time in our life as a mix of an adventure, rewarding hard work, and fun. Physical exhaustion can kind of put a damper on that last part. But, lest you think I’m whining, we are refining our approach each year and hopeful that we can grow to that point. I often think of our business as a newborn. That first phase of life with a new baby is exhausting, requiring constant attentiveness and energy. But as our “baby” matures, we enjoy the rewards of that initial time as we watch our farm develop. Our soils become richer. Our customers return year after year. We acquire the tools we need to make each job more efficient. And our children are learning the true value and challenges of being good stewards of the land, hard work and healthy food.

Perks to the job that money can't buy? The best perks have to be:

Customers who give us high-fives, hugs and “love notes” because of our veggies and pork.
Shareholders who take ownership of their farm, and drive in with friends to give them a tour!
The friendships we’ve built with our members.
Having an intimate connection to our land, knowing that we are doing all we can to steward and protect it.
Eating this amazing food from our own and friend’s farms.
Helping people get excited about eating healthy food!
Living and playing in Northern Michigan. Working outside. Seeing a bit of Torch Lake every day.
The satisfaction of hard work.
Bringing up our children in this unique farm life-style.
Our increased faith in God as He has answered our prayers over and over again, (We accept "yes", "no", "wait", and "watch this!"), guiding our journey to this point, providing the wisdom, soil and tools that we need among many many other blessings in love, family and friendships along the way.

Our farm verse:

1 Corinthians, 3:7 (NIV)

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."

Thanks for reading our story!

Andrea

This page last updated on 2/25/2011.

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