Meet Laurie Hunter of Frontier Farms and the Community Food Co-op. In part one of this two-part profile, we will be featuring Frontier Farms. In part two, we will be featuring the Community Food Co-op.
Laurie has hustle in her blood. From helping mom and dad with their bed & breakfast as a kid to becoming a busy mom herself, all the while building successful tree and landscaping businesses. She’s worked hard, worn a lot of hats, and always seems to have multiple projects in the works.
Right now Laurie has her sights set on 3 ventures: 1) growing her family’s shiny new, certified organic Frontier Farms Stand and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture/food subscription business) in Whittemore (www.michiganfrontierfarms.com), 2) launching the Community Hub Food Co-op in Tawas City (www.micommunityhub.org) AND 3) running their Michigan tree and landscaping businesses.
We’re proud to have Laurie at the Winter Market every other Saturday (March 4thfor her next time), selling her beautiful produce, tasty goodies, and healthy dry goods while spreading the word about this much-needed food co-op. All produce (heirloom cherry tomatoes, garlic, and more) and microgreens are certified organic. You might be interested to know that Frontier has a plant sale in May, close to Mother’s Day. You can find the details on their website, in the near future.
Laurie originally grew up in Michigan, then moved West as a teen. A dramatic climate shift in Colorado was ultimately the catalyst for her return. “We knew we wanted to be growing, both sustainably and organically. It broke our hearts to watch our Colorado gardens and landscaping die in the summer of 2017 during the drought/watering bans. But that inspired us to buy Michigan farm property in 2018 and fully commit to the difficult, year-long transition back home.” They are glad to be back and so close to extended family again while pursuing their true life’s passion.
The Hunters employ regenerative farming practices to keep both the food and the land healthy. Ducks and chickens roam the farm and keep the pests down. The chickens and other animals are rotated to help provide natural fertilizer and all the planting and harvesting is done by hand, versus tractor, to preserve the natural structure of the soil. Pesticides are not used at the farm. Rather, they employ nets and hand picking for the really tough critters that the birds miss. The prior owner bought the property in 1927 and ran a conventional apple orchard for over 90 years while raising 9 kids. Laurie says it’s really nice to have land with such a rich history and with a previous owner who put so much love and care into his land stewardship.
In keeping with the family on the farm tradition, Laurie is grateful for the help of her very energetic, now 8-year-old son and her daughter, Chandra, to whom she wanted to send a very special thank you for being such an integral and valuable asset to all of their businesses. “We couldn’t do it without them!” Her son spends a lot of time running around with the animals and the dogs. Farm kids have great immune systems!
All of Laurie’s hard work, along with that of her family and partners, yields healthy food that you can buy at the Develop Iosco Winter Market.
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