Goetz Family Farm CSA

Three Generations of the Goetz Family Our family has been stewards of the same land since 1905. In the late 1970s, our farm transitioned from grain and livestock to produce. Since that time we've been marketing our produce at farmer's markets including the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, Downtown Farmington Farmer's Market and Chelsea Farmers Market. (Seeour Locationsfor details).  Recently we have also been supplying fresh produce to both Argus Farm Stoplocations in Ann Arbor, St. Joe's CSA program, plus several excellent restaurants including Spencer,Pacific Rim,Detroit Street Filling Station,Miss Kim,Nourish Juicery & Kitchenand Shellie's Subs & More. Three generations of our family provide the energy and expertise to operate our farm. We welcome CSA members to come and get to know us at our annual farm day. Our Growing Practices and GMO Statement We believe the key to healthy produce is healthy soil. We work hard to incorporate cover crops, manure, and compost into the soil. Our efforts to improve the soil yield rich benefits in the flavor and nutrition of our produce. Although we are not organically certified, our farm uses many organic practices.  We favor vigorous Non-GMO cultivars and are continually trialing varieties to select those with optimum flavor and nutrition, the same way that good farmers have for generations.  We are committed to Non-GMO and grow only 100% Non-GMO vegetables on our farm. Food safety is also a priority for our farm. We personally oversee the harvesting and packing of our produce to ensure that the produce from our farm is not only healthy but also safe. We began offering a CSA program in 2012. For more information on the CSA program please see our CSA page. Environmental Statements and Certification Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) Certified We are committed to environmental protection.  Planting wildflower plots for honey bees and other pollinators and encouraging natural balance of beneficial predatory and parasitic insect life, planting filter strips to reduce runoff, crop rotation in conjunction with pasture set-a-side plots to allow the land to rest for one to five years, planting cover crops to build the soil and reduce soil erosion, taking annual soil samples to monitor soil fertility, applying all chemicals in accordance with labels and soil need, taking continuing education courses to build knowledge and practical methods of environmental stewardship, following best irrigation practices to maintain the lowest water usage for best yield return and water testing for water safety, implementing safety measures before and in case of farm pollution accidents occur, documentation of all these areas. Biological controls - examples of some insects we utilize Native Eastern Bumble Bees for pollination Parasitic wasps to control various pests Lace Wings  to control various pests Cover Crops - Soil Building, Conservation, Carbon Sequestration Cover crops build soil micro organism habitat, break up soils to improve moisture retention, nutrient scavenging and sequester, prevention of run-off into the great lakes eco-system. Hold soil in place to prevent erosion, conserving our soils for future generations Sequester carbon as soil organic carbon (SOC) at a rate of 0.22 tons/acre/year/average; we estimate just through cover crops an average carbon sequestration of 5 tons each year. Reference:University Nebraska-Lincoln Study MAEAP Certification for Cropping and Livestock Certification by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for environmentally sound practices. Certified for Crops and Livestock