Farming the Peninsulas

June 3, 2016

Heirlooms are treasures passed down from generation to generation. Families like the Wunschs of Old Mission Peninsula and the Noonans of Leelanau County pass on more than just old chairs or china hutches — they bequeath a sense of pride, hard work, and a means of sustenance for themselves and others through the family farm.

NOONANS OF LEELANAU

Roger Noonan and his sons Ryan and Casey work the land at sites near Empire and Maple City. “My grandfather moved here from Pennsylvania in 1917,” said Roger. He began farming with basic crops such as potatoes and corn.

Roger’s father, Glen, who also started Glen’s Landfill, added more livestock to the mix. “He started milking cows. He had up to 78,” Roger said. Glen also added wheat, oats and rye to the mix.

Roger, 60, started working full-time following high school, though as a family endeavor, he’d been working on the farm since he was a youngster. The same is true of Ryan, 37, and Casey, 28. “I started driving a tractor at 7 or 8,” said Ryan.

“We grew up in it,” added Casey, who went on to earn an associate degree from Michigan State University before returning to work the family farm.

After Glen’s death in 2014, the family sold off most of the cows but continued to diversify, adding cherries and other crops. “The only thing we’ve cut back is cattle,” said Roger.

One relatively new addition is barley, which is malted locally and then used for the region’s newest hot industry, micro-brewing. “We started barley on a whim,” said Casey. “It’s also good rotation for the crops.”

They don’t see themselves becoming hops farmers, however. “The initial startup is costly. You need irrigation,” said Ryan.

No matter the crops, like all farmers, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of the weather. For example, this year they hope to get two cuttings of hay; last year they got only three. “Mother Nature is sometimes a little cruel,” said Roger.

“You get a drought at some point,” said Ryan.

One crop less affected by the weather is wood. “We’ve got about 150 acres of hardwoods. We sell a lot of firewood,” said Ryan.

They wish people understood more about farming, such as why not all farms are organic and why farmers spray their crops to reduce the threat of disease and insects.

“We try to educate people on why we use chemicals,” said Ryan. For example, he said, operations using non-GMO seeds have to spray twice a year, as opposed to one time for those using GMO seeds.

“It all starts in the schools,” said Casey. “There were agriculture classes in schools, now it’s just an option in some.”

Asked the best thing about farming, Roger didn’t hesitate. “Being outdoors,” he said.

Ryan agreed, adding that you get out of it what you put into it. Casey said seeing things grow from seeds he’s planted and then watching the change of seasons is most rewarding.

Without being asked, Roger immediately added what he sees as the worst thing:

“The traffic. People can’t get to Empire fast enough. They’re trying to pass and don’t pay any attention to the signs,” he said, shaking his head.

Nevertheless, it’s clear he and his sons enjoy being close to the land. “I’m very fortunate to have two sons that want to stay on the farm. Ryan’s daughters and Casey’s son, if they want to keep on (farming), the opportunity is there,” he said.

WUNSCH OF OLD MISSION

Out on Old Mission, Josh and Barb Wunsch are in the process of turning over the bulk of their longtime family farm to their children, Isaiah and Adele, and their close friend Raul Gomez. “We’ll be the sixth generation. That’s pretty cool,” said Adele.

The bulk of their operation is in the apple and cherry orchards. “We do a little more cherries than apples,” said Adele.

Her great-grandfather Edmond, a railroad company law clerk from Detroit, purchased the land, which included an orchard, in the mid-’20s. Edmond’s son Ellis received a Fulbright Scholarship after World War II and assisted in the reconstruction of Europe. Following that, Ellis returned to the orchard, where he expanded the varieties of fruit grown in the region.

Josh continued the agricultural tradition of his family, adding his own innovations, such as stringing fishline through the trees to ward off crows and seagulls.

Now the next generation is returning to its roots, again after college. Gomez received his degree from Grand Valley State University, while Isaiah got a degree in public policy at the University of Michigan before earning a masters in agricultural economics from Michigan State University. Adele received two liberal arts degrees from Michigan State University and recently started in the MBA program at the University of Michigan. “[Returning home to the farm] was really important to us. Agriculture is really exciting place to be as a young person,” she said. Adele said the people throughout the farm and the larger agricultural community work together to assist one another. “There’s nothing like it. The people here at Wunsch Farms have been tremendous mentors — the fruit industry, we have so many good friends and supporters. There are a lot of young people coming back. It’s really cool to be a part of that.”

For Adele, the best thing is the entirety of the farming lifestyle: “Growing up in it, I never got used to a 9-to-5 job. I have a lot of flexibility and independence.”

Barb is still keeping her hand in the family business, running a portion of the farm as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). “I’ve worked as a dietician for about 30 years. One goal is to get people to eat more fruits and vegetables,” she said.

“We do really good fruit in every bin,” she said. Besides the farm’s cherries and apples, Barb harvests and distributes strawberries, raspberries, Asian pears, rhubarb, blueberries, apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines.

On the vegetable side, she does a variety of cabbages, carrots, sugar snap peas, lettuces, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, and kale, among others. She also sends out a weekly newsletter with ways to cook and serve the foods and other information. “I use my dietician skills and give them healthy, quick recipes,” she said.