The Critter Barn in Zeeland, MI is dedicated to connecting people of all ages and abilities with the natural world by teaching about farming and agriculture. Through hands on experiences with livestock, horticulture, and educational activities, the community has felt a new spark and inspiration for agriculture.
Beginning on a three-acre homestead of an old dairy farm in 1984, the Critter Barn has been able to make an impact on thousands of lives each year. When the Critter Barn first opened, it was home to a few old barns and a handful of different livestock. Mary Rottschafer, the founder, had three young children and was a schoolteacher at the time. “We started doing school field trips and other small events. I was a schoolteacher, so it was just a natural transition that we weren't expecting when we first purchased the property. As the Critter Barn grew, we sorted things out in life so that it could be our main focus,” explained Mary.
Mary didn’t grow up on a farm, so this entire adventure has been a learning experience. “I always say I’m the best student, and I really relate to the people that visit the farm because I also had no agriculture background. I help them see how learning can be fun for all ages and learning about animal care or how our food is produced can be beneficial for everyone,” Mary said enthusiastically.
The mission and goals for the Critter Barn quickly outgrew the original location, and through the help of donations and sponsors like GreenStone, the Critter Barn recently moved to an all new 36-acre location which provides plenty of space for new opportunities.
Mary has multiple goals for the new location. Firstly, she hopes to duplicate the nostalgic feeling the old farm had while also providing a modern approach that allows for a lot of hands-on interaction. The second goal is education. She plans to provide as much education as possible on production agriculture.
To do this, the new farm has buildings to demonstrate the modern management strategies and the reasoning for the advancements. “We want to educate people on how the ag industry runs their farms while also giving students the opportunity to work with real time equipment, management strategies, and technology,” explained Mary.
The third goal for the new location is agronomy. With multiple acres to work with, Mary plans to provide a plot for crops and demonstrate several natural resource management strategies such as water recycling and soil conservation. Through this plot of land, the public will be able to see the full cycle of farm to plate.
“There’s a local woman who is going to help us with the equipment to make flour from the wheat we’ve grown on the plot. That flour will then be used at a local bakery and will come back to our farm as food to eat,” Mary shared excitedly.
Lastly, the new Critter Barn will be universally accessible for people of all abilities. The designers are using an accessibility standards called universal design. Mary believes this may be the first facility in the United States that combines these opportunities with all the accessibility standards for people with disabilities or special needs.
The Critter Barn impacts the lives of 100,000 people each year, but with their new location they will be able to double that number and touch the lives of people for generations to come. Grow with them as they set foot on this next adventure!
For more information on the Critter Barn and their new adventure, visit their website at www.critterbarn.org.
To view the article in the online 2023 Winter Partners Magazine, click here.
