What was once three businesses is now one: Green Things Farm Collective. Ann Arbor Seed Company, Green Things Farm, and the Land Loom came together in 2020 to expand production, share the management of running a diverse farm business, and develop a model of sustainable, cooperative, and responsible farming.
Small-scale regenerative farming is a business unlike any other in its bias towards diversity of products, consideration of ecological systems, personal touch, and community capital over efficiency, scalability, and profit at any cost. As a whole, truly greater than the sum of its parts, Green Things Farm Collective and the community it serves stand to benefit greatly from the forty-plus years of diverse farming experience among the Collective’s working members and the innovation and inspired vision only possible when a group of passionate farmers come together to share in the joys and challenges of their calling.
Move towards a more sustainable future
Environmental and Land Stewardship
Nate started Green Things Farm with Jill. He has been farming this land for more than a dozen years now and is deeply invested in the health of the land and the community that has formed around it. Nate is passionate about developing farm systems, is a real do-it-yourselfer, and someday wants to have a breakfast cafe at the farm where he is the cook.
Hannah grew up in Northwest Michigan, surrounded by the farms and restaurants of Leelanau County. Her passion for food and creative physical work drew her to farming after college. She honed her skills through intensive training in organic farm management at Michigan State's Student Organic Farm and moved to Ann Arbor in 2013 to manage Sunseed Farm. After running her own small operation called The Land Loom for five years, she helped found Green Things Farm Collective and has continued as a managing owner, focused on produce sales and team development. She serves on the board of directors for the Washtenaw County Conservation District and the Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.
Michelle came to farming with a degree in zoology from MSU and a background in ecological restoration work. She was looking for a way to make a living that combined her love of the natural world, food, and physical activity, while allowing her to feel like she was truly making a positive impact on the world. At GTFC she has found not only that, but a vibrant, caring, and supportive community as well. She very much appreciates the opportunity to guide and bring about meaningful change to a profession that has historically been forced to move in directions that have negatively impacted the environment and our own wellbeing. When she's not at the farm she can often be found walking slowly through a prairie or the woods, quietly observing anything and everything she can!
Jill graduated from U of M with a degree in restoration ecology in 2010. She and Nate started Green Things Farm in 2011 at a local farm incubator program. They then purchased 64 acres where the farm is now settled.
Day to day, she is working as the Community Engagement Specialist for the Washtenaw County Conservation District. On the farm she manages the cattle, events, and farm-scape.
She is passionate about community, good food, ecology, and being a good parent.
Born and raised in southeast Michigan, Leah developed an appreciation for food at a young age in the garden and kitchen of her grandparents. Her passion for a more sustainable food system grew while studying Environmental Biology and Sustainable Agriculture at Michigan State University. After working in plant genetics labs, educational farms, and even a brief stint in French pastry, Leah decided to try her hand at small-scale farming. At GTFC, she found a welcoming community and endless opportunities to learn. Her favorite aspects of this work include being outside, getting to know her fellow farmers, and celebrating the seaso
