Hales / Flannery Flora

The future of our farm includes having an organic vegetable and fruit garden. We want to grow most of our own food and have plenty to stock up over winter. Some experience growing an organic garden the past 4 years in our small backyard in the middle of the city. Lots of trial and error between critters,space, and timing. Our goal is to have such fertile and built up soil, that we rarely have to water it or pull weeds. This is something we’re already accomplishing in our home gardens. Our goal is to be in Michigan by 2028-2029

The cut flower garden will include typical zinnias, celosia, sunflowers, bachelor buttons, etc. Planning to have lots of herbs and flowers for bouquets, pick your own, and drying them. We are starting lots of flowers this year to get a feel of how things are going to go.

 Once the farm is established we want to add on a pottery studio to throw our own functional pottery and not have to outsource for those flower vases, cups, bowls, etc.  Eventually have pottery nights to have customers throw their own pottery, ladies nights, workplace events, workshops etc. 

Once that phase is established we want to further expand into health and wellness/agrotourism. A place for adults and families to get away and take a break from their daily lives, sit in a sauna, take a cold plunge, eat the meals in a farm to table setting. Yoga and meditation in the garden. A place for people to reset their mental health, leave our farm feeling energized and enlightened  

The farm will be a place for people to come to enjoy, relax, get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a day. To come pick flowers and be with nature. Children to come learn about the local flora and fauna, experience seeing farm animals like a field trip! Making soaps, chapstick, candles, etc. Maybe it will plant a seed for them to be a future farmer. We want to be able to give back to our community through education and experience. 

My partner Coty, has a bachelor’s degree in geology and started it in conservation. He thought he wanted to do something like DNR but found his passion for minerals and water resources. His senior research project studied sediment build up at the lake his family lived on. Through his project he gave information and hypothesis for ongoing sediment build up issues which he present to the lake board. They were able to contact a biologist and engineer with his information and designed a silt screen and pump system to reduce sediment and algae blooms. 

I have an Associate degree in applied science with a focus of fine art. I am currently studying Business Administration for my bachelors degree. I want to have the knowledge of running a business from formal training then be able to apply it to our farm. My graduation date is June 2027. 

We are both resourceful people and enjoy do it yourself projects. We have renovated our 950 SqFt home including a full kitchen remodel, and a bathroom remodel. We have built in our shelving, a storage/sitting breakfast nook/bench, put up a fence, and made our own flower beds with leftover rock from the backyard. Coty’s family owned a construction business and are grateful for his fathers wisdom. 

My grandparents raised hogs, chickens, guinea fowl, and kept bees when I was younger. These are some animals we would like to incorporate onto the farm and utilize as working animals. Bees to help pollinate, ducks and guineas to eat ticks and slugs, pigs to help clear land and dig a pond if needed. We want everything on our farm to have a purpose and use. 

While we don’t have a ton if any  farming experience, we are very willing to learn and even be mentored. This is our dream to be on a farm and we’re going to make it work however we can. My goal is to have a business  plan  by the end of the first quarter of 2026 and starting my LLC.