Access to fresh food is available year-round in Leelanau and surrounding counties, with residents and visitors eager to partake in the season’s best crops all the while supporting local farmers and making healthy food more accessible to the greater community.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares have been growing in popularity since the first CSA was established in Leelanau County more than 30 years ago. Meadowlark Farm in Lake Leelanau began its CSA farm in 1994, but according to the farm’s website, they now have over 500 people in their CSA, as well as “close to 200 shares, employ seven people, power the farm with solar panels and have four hoophouses.” It’s just one of many examples demonstrating how local farmers have adapted and grown both in the agriculture business and in their reach over the years.
Jim Bardenhagen is the current president and cofounder of MI Farm Co-Op, a farmer owned cooperative providing CSA and wholesale offerings from local farmers to community members, schools, grocery stores, and restaurants. The co-op offers customers the convenience of shopping via its online marketplace and differs from a regular CSA as they sell customizable produce and items from 25-plus farms in Northwest Michigan. Nic Welty of 9 Bean Rows, which has its own popular CSA shares program, cofounded the farm co-op with Bardenhagen a decade ago.
