Green Things Farm

Inside a series of hoop houses on a 64-acre property just north of Ann Arbor, the next generation of farmers is busy sowing the seeds of tomorrow. Nate and Jill Lada, both University of Michigan graduates in their 20s, have been learning the tricks of the trade as new farmers, growing crops like kale, tomatoes, beets, turnips, spinach, squash, carrots, lettuce, garlic, onions, radishes, wheat berries and black beans. They're also raising chickens and pigs. Come harvest time, the fresh produce, chicken and pork from Green Things Farm at the corner of Nixon and Warren roads in Ann Arbor Township doesn't travel far. Fueling the local food movement, some of it goes to downtown Ann Arbor restaurants, including Jolly Pumpkin, Grange, Zingerman's Deli and Tios. Some of it also is sold at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak. Green Things Farm also hosts farm dinners and has a community-supported agriculture program that allows people to buy shares in the farm in return for a share of the harvest. With the hoop houses, they can grow food through the winter."It's really exciting for us," Nate Lada said. The husband-and-wife duo credits the Ann Arbor greenbelt program for making it affordable for them to purchase the farm two years ago. Read story.