About Horton Bay Heritage Farm

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 farm in harmony with nature, our family, and our community.

To us, farmsteading is about more than growing food or raising animals. It is about cultivating a legacy of stewardship that reflects our values, our love for the land, and our commitment to thoughtful, life-giving practices.

 People often ask whether Horton Bay Heritage Farm is organic. The honest answer is that we farm using organic practices, but we are not certified organic.

For us, this way of farming is not about a label. It is about growing clean, nourishing food for our own family and for our community, while caring for the long-term health of the soil, water, plants, animals, pollinators and land around us.

We are not currently pursuing organic certification because of the cost, paperwork and administrative burden it would add to a small family farm — costs that would ultimately be reflected in the price of our farm goods. Instead, we focus our energy on the daily work of farming with transparency, care and common sense.

We avoid synthetic pesticides and herbicides, use organic-approved products and natural growing methods when intervention is needed, build soil health through compost, mulch, cover crops and natural fertility, and welcome honest conversations about how we grow. Our farm has an open-door spirit, and we are happy to share our practices with customers who want to know more about where their food, flowers and plants come from.

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.