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Adopt-A-Farm program raises awareness of Michigan agriculture
- Jerry Huehl talks with Kirk Heinze on WJR
Sprung onto the Huehl brothers as a bit of a surprise, Michigan Farm Bureau’s Adopt-A-Farm program presented a series of feature stories that allowed the general public to get a better understanding of farming.
Jerry Huehl, co-owner of Huehl Acres Farm in Washtenaw County, spoke to Kirk Heinze about his experience with the Adopt-A-Farm program.
Huehl describes the program as a “great surprise,” having opened his eyes to outsiders’ perspectives of life on a farm.
Having received great reviews from readers, Huehl felt that the exposure allowed him to get a better idea about what the general public misunderstood about farming.
“The thing people don’t understand about farming is that most of our imports we buy at retail and then what we sell at wholesale, whether it’s milk or whether it’s crops,” says Huehl.
Huehl also notes misconceptions, such as animal practices, that he feels people really grew to understand by listening to the farmer’s point-of-view.
Huehl’s farm proved to be a good forefront for the program, as a 100-cow dairy operation and an extensive cash-crop farm. Huehl runs the farm with his brother, and co-owner, Denny, and two employees.
One of the major objectives of the Adopt-A-Farm program is to educate people about farming, with series like this one which allow for a full year of farm activity coverage.
“After ours, they covered a greenhouse story…agriculture is just not animals, there are many different types of agriculture, too,” says Huehl.
In regards to this year’s Michigan farming season, Huehl says “We’ve been pulling our hair out trying to get the crops in, you just wonder ‘How late do you plant?’ and ‘When’s the first killing frost going to come in the fall?’”
Click on the arrow above to hear Huehl’s June 25 Greening of the Great Lakes conversation with Kirk Heinze. Greening of the Great Lakes airs Friday evenings at 7 on News/Talk 760 WJR.
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