On a sunny, spring afternoon in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, the cattle of Two Sparrows Farm roam the 80-acre pasture. The cattle chow down on hay grown and made by Dan and Whitney Belprez, the farm owners.
Look closer and you’ll find Dan and Whitney’s four children helping with farm chores as customers pull in for their latest share of fresh milk.
Dan and Whitney have their business down to a science–partnering with nature to grass feed their cattle.
But Dan and Whitney will be the first to tell you that the farm’s great success had humble beginnings, and took plenty of research, experimentation and hard work.
“We're both first generation farmers,” explained Whitney. “My mom is an attorney and my dad works in finance. Dan's mom was a teacher and a principal. So, our families have nothing to do with farming. Neither of us have a degree in agriculture. In fact, we didn’t become interested in it until the tail end of college.”
That newfound passion sparked Dan to work for two apple orchards, and eventually, a large dairy operation.
“For me, I just liked doing hands-on work,” Dan said.
Whitney also jumped into the industry interning on an organic vegetable farm.
Dan and Whitney are joined by their retired Financial Services Officer Kelly Aiken, who introduced
them to GreenStone's CultivateGrowth program for beginning farmers like them.
A Growing Business
From that point, the two began renting a farmhouse raising chickens in their backyard. When they outgrew that, they bought their first home on 12 acres in Lowell, Michigan. Their business began to take off, and the couple bought a 40-acre farm in Big Rapids before eventually settling down on their current property in Eaton Rapids.
Dan and Whitney worked with GreenStone to finance their farmland and utilize an operating loan for everyday farm expenses. As young, beginning and small farmers, they are able to take advantage of GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program providing flexible loan terms and joint financing with the Farm Service Agency, or FSA.
Retired GreenStone Financial Services Officer Kelly Aiken is proud to be a part of their growing operation.
“I’ve been impressed with them as long as I’ve been working with them,” said Kelly. “They started small and have grown into a successful operation and that’s exactly what our relationship with FSA is supposed to do.”
“We have nothing but good things to say about GreenStone,” said Whitney. “Whether it's selling and buying farms, whether it's calling us to convert our mortgage to a lower rate, or the revolving line of credit that we've utilized. Everything that we've needed – GreenStone has been there and they've been super supportive and our biggest cheerleaders.”
Dan and Whitney have been on their current property for more than half a decade, and now offers fresh, whole, unprocessed milk to 320 families through a herd share and sell grass-fed beef to 30 additional families. It’s the type of growth they always wanted for themselves, but never could have imagined at the beginning.
“It has been interesting because early on, I think our families kind of looked at us like we were crazy,” explained Dan. “We started seeing the fruits of our labor ourselves and our customer base had grown and our families kind of saw that same growth and people started realizing, oh, you know, maybe there's something to it and that small farms can be viable if they're able to sell directly to consumers.”
If you ask Whitney, their secret superpower is being first-generation.
“In some ways, it's our greatest detriment, but it's also our greatest asset because although we didn't have access to the capital, the land, the infrastructure or the equipment, all of those things that somebody who grew up in a farming family might have access to, we didn't come into it with any preconceived notions of how one should farm. So, we could come in and think a lot more creatively about how to make our farm.”
Being Green to Make Green
Using regenerative farm practices are important to Dan and Whitney – they say it’s the perfect way to partner with planet earth and be eco-friendly while also helping their bottom line.
“With sustainable farming methods, you don't need the facilities, you don't need the equipment and you don't need the feed pads so your input costs aren’t as high,” Dan explained. Dan and Whitney found the practices used in regenerative farming resonate with a large market of customers in their area.
“There’s a big market there for direct-to-consumer products that people can buy and feel like are produced ethically with animals that live in a more natural system,” Dan explained. “So, we found that basically there's lower costs in that it does tend to benefit the environment and it does match up with what customers were wanting and willing to pay for, so it kind of checked all three boxes.”
“We're trying to capture as much of the retail dollar as possible and so we can get our highest retail with customers that are willing to seek producers out that raise animals in a sustainable or regenerative way,” said Whitney. “For us personally, we do hold ecological values and want to farm in a way that is good for the environment.”
The farm is providing their children an experience they can't get anywhere else, and most importantly, memories for a lifetime!
Helping Hands
Although Dan and Whitney didn’t grow up on a farm, they are sure glad their children do. They hope the farm instills the values of hard work and grit in them.
“They get to learn about calves and keeping cows healthy and different pieces of equipment,“ said Dan. “When things break, a lot of times they're right there watching over my shoulders while I fix them. There's so many different hats you have to wear farming and they get to absorb a lot of that. Hopefully it makes them more well-rounded or at least interesting individuals when they grow up.”
Most importantly, they hope their children have fun and create lifelong memories along the way.
“That's something that very few kids get to experience, and it’s just a normal thing for them,” Whitney reflected. “I feel like they're going to go out in the world and realize they had a different experience in their childhood, and I hope they appreciate it. They don't have screens, they don't have phones, they don't have iPads, but they have nature at their back door and they have animals and I hope they appreciate that when they grow up.”
Just Getting Started
As young farmers, Dan and Whitney have a long road ahead. For now, they’re pumping the brakes on expanding, but rather focusing on best practices for their operation and family.
“I think right now we're more focusing on just increasing efficiency and increasing our profit margins rather than just growing,” Dan explained. “We're kind of cautious not to overrun our headlights, so to speak.”
“Having four kids along the way has really shaped our values and our perspective on what we want the farm to do for us, and I think our biggest goal is making sure there's a balance of focusing on our family and work time basically to balance that for a sustainable lifestyle,” said Whitney.
Whatever lies ahead for Two Sparrow Farms, GreenStone is proud to be a partner in their growth.
“They’re just a wonderful family,” said Kelly. “I love being part of a farm team and helping people realize their dreams. It’s fulfilling to have those things happen and to be the partner that can help them do that.”
To view the spring 2024 issue of Partners magazine in its entirety, click here.
