“We are a no-till farm, meaning we never till the soil.”
Brett Ziegler owns Tortoise and Hare Farm in Muskegon, one of 14 operations statewide to receive Michigan Department of Agriculture Regenerative Value Chains grants.
“I'm going to be able to upgrade our farm stands for self-serve, self-pay, with a Square kiosk, and display coolers, and have our farm stand open, hopefully Monday through Friday with kind of normal business hours, which will dramatically increase the time and accessibility that people can come by and pick up our produce.”
The grants help farmers scale regenerative agriculture techniques like no tilling, implementing cover crops which are plants that protect and improve soil, limiting pesticides and manufactured fertilizers, and allowing livestock to graze.
Ziegler says prioritizing soil quality creates a better product.
“Our produce is much fresher. It's going to have a much higher nutrient density. It's just a win-win. I can't tell you how many times every single week that customers tell me how long their produce lasts in their fridge and how far superior it is compared to big chain grocery stores.”
The program also offers free soil health assessments and a crop insurance pilot to lower costs and boost farm resiliency.
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