“Get outside your bubble and be open minded when listening to other farmers' stories,” Sara Matchett says while giving advice to other young, beginning, small farmers. “Don’t be intimidated by the idealistic and unreachable standards that you may see in agriculture. Focus on what you can do, and how you can do it better.”
Matchett is a young farmer who was raised on a farm in Holland, but moved to the Charlevoix area two years ago when she married her husband, Noah. Together they operate his family farm of 900 acres of land and 1,600 ewes.
Matchett's herd of sheep.
Matchett’s family farm in Holland was very different from the one she and her husband run now. With her diverse background, she is able to bring different perspectives to the table at the Matchett farm.
In February, Matchett attended the Underground Innovations conference in Frankenmuth, Michigan. She was able to listen to multiple guest speakers talk about their farms and how they came to be.
Sara and her sheep!
While listening, Matchett was inspired by the experiences they shared. “It was inspiring to see the different farmers and the ways that they are implementing very different practices, but still reaching the same goal. And for me it was more of a shift in perspective,” Matchett reflects.
Charlevoix growing season is very short compared to southern Michigan, so Matchett and her husband have had to adjust their farming techniques based on the growing season. “Like the amazing things that are being done with double cropping and cover cropping, that doesn’t really work up here. But the idea of finding something that works for us, such as conservation tillage or rotational grazing, we are improving our efficiency and conservation,” Matchett mentions.
With the help from GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth grant, Matchett was able to continue to diversify her portfolio and gain knowledge of different perspectives in farming by attending the Underground Innovations conference. This will help her and her husband on their farm to think about the different ways they could improve farming techniques.
Matchett's herd in the fall.
“Honestly, the financial support was essential for me to get down there. It was quite a ways away to attend a meeting in Frankenmuth and so to have the cost of the meeting covered it just took away that barrier of the finances. So, the fact that GreenStone was able to cover that was very helpful,” Matchett smiles.
With the help that the CultivateGrowth grant, Matchett is able to gain a different perspective of her and her husband’s farm. GreenStone understands the importance of advancing education for young, beginning, and small farmers. We work to provide the educational and financial resources needed to help establish a solid foundation. To apply today, visit CultivateGrowth Grant | GreenStone FCS.
