Acorn Vendor of the Week: Rocky Oak Farms

Henry and Becky Heim and their family at Rocky Oak Farms in Albion.

The Manchester Mirror is running a series of articles to introduce the many vendors at Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café to the community. Each week a different vendor will be featured, to highlight the wide variety of offerings at our local Market, both now and in the future. Watch for this regular feature to learn more about the people who make up the backdrop to this unique Manchester business!

This week’s featured Acorn vendor is Rocky Oak Farms of Albion. The farm, named for the volume of rocks and oak trees on the property, is owned by Henry and Becky Heim. Henry grew up in Chelsea and Becky in Albion; both grew up with a background in livestock throughout their lives.

Rocky Oak Farms raises 100% grass fed beef, pastured meat chickens, pastured pork and pastured rabbits. “We follow organic practices as much as we can, though we are not officially labeled organic,” Becky explains. “All our animals are grazed using regenerative techniques such as rotational grazing; this helps to improve soil health and in turn environmental health. It also means meats are higher in Omega 3’s and linolenic acids, which both have great health benefits.”

In addition, Rocky Oak’s animals are free of added hormones and antibiotics. The animals are processed at an USDA animal welfare approved processing facility to ensure fair treatment from farm to fork. “We want to improve our environment for future generations to be able to live off the land successfully,” Becky continues.

The Heims heard about Acorn via Jae Gerhart with the Washtenaw County MSU Extension office. “We were looking to sell our grass fed beef product in more stores besides just Agricole in Chelsea and Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor,” Becky says. “We were excited about Manchester bringing local foods to a smaller community — we really love seeing local stores supporting local businesses with fresh and healthy foods.”

Their favorite thing about being an Acorn Farmers’ Market vendor is that they love being able to provide local communities with a quality, locally produced product, one. where the consumer can have a more one-on-one experience with the products they are buying, knowing how and where the animals were raised.

Once Acorn Farmers Market & Café is open at its new location next month, “We are excited for Acorn to be expanding and being able to provide a larger quantity of product on more days of the week,” Becky says. “I’m really excited to try out their new café part of their store! Who doesn’t love a place to order a good coffee or tea? And bonus, with it in store, you can sip on it while you shop.”

Find Rocky Oak Farms on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or at their website: rockyoakfarms.com

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.