Michigan AF Podcast

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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!

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...

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!

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
• FACEBOOK

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!