What We Value
I have a lot of doubt about the value of growing flowers in 2025, given the chaos of the world this year. A friend responded to my post like this: “As a (mental health) trauma therapist, I recommend rest, beauty and play as antidotes to trauma. As they say in Buddhism, 10,000 sorrows and 10,000 joys. It is both. Together they balance. The world is not only the sorrows, but if we don’t actively look for the joys we may not see them. The joys do not negate the sorrows, but help us move through them.”
Life is full, mostly messy, sometimes hard, and deeply beautiful. Our little farm family of five is here on our tiny patch of Michigan ground, just trying to live out these values.
Environmental sustainability. We chose the work of farming because of a desire to “do no harm” in our chosen career, and to, in fact, restore soil, air quality, and water quality through regenerative agriculture. We want to take our last breath knowing our life’s work left the land better than we found it for the generations that follow.
Economic sustainability. To continue to farm we have to pay our bills and pay ourselves. With such a wide diversity of crops, we have learned to keep careful records of seeding, harvesting, and sales so that we can make data-driven farming decisions that eliminate waste and increase profitability.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion. We actively seek to make space in agriculture and on our farm for people who are not America’s typical historic farmer demographic. We intentionally welcome women and our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ friends to our farm as employees, paid interns, CSA members, and customers.
Great food. When we grow food, we work to grow the most nutritious food we can possibly grow and strive for the highest quality.
Great beauty. We believe every soul can be uplifted by beauty and expansive views of nature. We create and host space on our farm for our community to encounter light, color, and joy outdoors.
Generosity. We challenge the false narrative of scarcity. Facing the overwhelming abundance of nature, how can we do anything but share the gifts we receive? The possessions we own, in fact, own us, so we choose to give.
Flexibility. Farming requires flexibility in the face of changing climate, seasonal weather conditions, crop abundance, crop failure, available labor, and shifting local markets. We are flexible and open-minded to reflect in each season and to adjust course, coaxing from the land what is needed in the community.
Empathy. We strongly believe everyone is doing their best. We train our minds to believe the best about people, to look for the good in them, to affirm and build up where we can.
Gratitude. We appreciate the many gifts we have received, the minds we have, the people who have loved us, the work we get to do. We verbally affirm others, write notes, stand in awe.
Optimism. We believe that people are incredibly creative, are capable of great good, and are waiting for inspiration and accountability to do the most good together.
Endurance. We know that life brings challenges again and again, and we are committed to remaining, to riding out the storms, to putting in the work, to doing the hard thing knowing that perseverance is often the prerequisite to gains in wisdom, character, love… and to great food and flowers.
Humanity. We are human beings first and business people second. We see each person working on the farm as a full human being, and strive to ensure they get what they need from their time and work here each day.