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About Us
Petoskey is our hometown! While we grew up in Northern Michigan, our journey in sustainable small-scale farming began at "Origins Hobby Farm" where we lived and raised our two kids in Southwest Michigan. After 20+ years, we sold Origins Hobby Farm when Jack's career took us on a venture. We are grateful to have experienced life in coastal Southern California and life in the lone star state near the Dallas Fort-Worth area.
With a seven-year hiatus from farming and land ownership, we've now laid down fresh roots back in our home town of Petoskey, Michigan with "Horton Bay Heritage Farm." This is our renewed commitment to learning, nurturing the land, cherishing our community, and sharing the abundant rewards of regenerative farming.
Welcome to the farm!
Kathleen & Jack Nestell
Farming Beyond Sustainability in Northern Michigan
Mindful Farming
Every farming practice leaves a mark, and at our Northern Michigan small-scale farm, we aim to go beyond sustainability. While terms like sustainable, regenerative, and ecological agriculture are often used interchangeably, they reflect distinct approaches with shared goals.
Sustainable agriculture focuses on meeting present needs without compromising the future, minimizing environmental impact while maintaining economic viability. Regenerative agriculture goes further, actively restoring soil health, boosting biodiversity, and capturing carbon to combat climate change. Ecological agriculture treats the farm as a living ecosystem, prioritizing natural processes, biodiversity, and resilience while reducing external inputs.
These approaches are not separate—they are deeply interconnected. We believe in combining these principles to create the best example of farming harmoniously with nature and our community. To understand more about us, farmsteading is about more than growing food or raising animals; it’s about cultivating a legacy of stewardship that reflects our values and passion for mindful, rejuvenating practices.
We are deeply committed to the future of this farm, Bay Township and the communities of Petoskey, Charlevoix and Boyne City that surround us. By honoring the past and working thoughtfully in the present, we utilize sustainable farming practices not just for today, but for generations to come.
We invite you to visit Horton Bay Heritage Farm to explore our practices and see how we are not only sustainable, we are working towards regenerative and beyond!