We always knew that one day we would take over the family farm, but "when" was the real question. "Is one ever really ready to make such a life changing decision as this?"
After many years of dreams and discussions, we decided that now was the time! Then comes the pandemic. Still, we chose to go ahead - might as well start when the chips are down then when the stakes are high, right? After countless hours of research on what we wanted to do with the farm, we finally had it narrowed down to a few choices - ultimately hemp won. We desired to be on the "cutting edge" in the Agriculture (AG) field. Fruit trees and most of the more common orchards take about 5 years before they are established enough to even produce a crop (and the first year is usually not at the full potential). So, that option was out. Yes, Traverse City is the "Cherry Capital," but with the very minimal profit margin that option was a no go for us. So, we researched what was compatible with the area and industrial hemp popped up. So we figured "hey, why not? This might be an exercise in futility, but what part of farming is easy?" I know the answer already, NOTHING is easy! There is never an easy road in agriculture. There is ALWAYS something that will try to knock you back; be it the weather, equipment or whatever else life throws at you. Hemp is still in the research and development phase therefore we will be (more or less) getting in at the beginning. This is where our hemp adventure begins!
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