Horning Farms using latest technology to be good neighbors
Horning Farms was founded by Gottlieb and Barbara Horning in 1877. Pictured: Back row: Earl, Diane, Lynda, Jeff; front row: Mason, Katelyn Packard, Joe Packard. (Mirror file photo)
by Marsha Chartrand
It’s been 147 years since Gottlieb and Barbara Hornung established a small farm, raising primarily sheep and growing food for their family, across the road from Pleasant Lake in Freedom Township.
“A hundred and forty-seven years ago, I’m sure they weren’t thinking about the long-term effects of what they were doing, or even had any expectation that there would be a farm here 147 years later,” says their great-great-great-grandson Mason Horning (the anglicized name was adopted by the family in the 1920s). “But here we are.”
With one big difference: Mason; his father, Jeff; grandfather Earl; and sister, Katelyn Packard, are now a three-generation team, working hard to not only be aware of what they are doing each day but how it affects their home, their neighborhood, the entire community, and the future.
This is best spelled out on the farm’s website: “We live on the land that we farm, and we’re nestled across the road from a lake where both we and our community members enjoy recreational activities. We understand the importance of protecting our natural resources; we depend on the land for our business and quality of life, and take this responsibility very seriously. We are constantly evaluating new and progressive technologies that are aimed at conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.
“The farm is MAEAP (Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program) certified, a voluntary program that certifies farms if they are following best practices to care for the environment.”
These are farmers who are excited about the future — what it can bring to their farm, what improvements can be made to their environment and surroundings, and the possibilities for expanding what they are able to do with their 1,000-acre farm.
In recent years, Horning Farms has made a concerted effort to become more open and accessible to its neighbors. Since hosting its first “Neighbor Day” in 2018, they have expanded their engagement with the community to include annual Open Houses and a Fun Run for the past three years, and last year added a Vendor Show to their repertoire of events. In March 2021, they welcomed the community into their food operation by opening the Horning Farm Store, where they sell beef, butter, cheese, chicken, and ICE CREAM! Their convenient online ordering system and easy pick-up make your shopping simple as you pass by the farm on Pleasant Lake Road. Check their Facebook page for updates on what’s currently available.
The farm also participates in donations of ground beef to the local Community Resource Center Food Pantry and this year shook things up a bit by doing a challenge between five local food charities. Although the CRC was far and away the winner, Horning Farms is proud to have donated, with the support of community donations, a total of 196 pounds of beef to the five charities.
What’s new on the horizon at Horning Farms? It’s a manure management system; actually a project that Katelyn has been working on “for years,” with little success. But several months ago, a company approached her about an anaerobic digester that will use manure — and food waste — to create renewable natural gas, so Horning Farms’ proximity to several natural gas lines was an advantage for the deal.
“The company that approached us is Vanguard,” Mason explains. “We will lease 10 acres of land to them for their equipment and technology, and we provide them the manure. They will manage everything, including getting the food waste, and in return we take the digestate — a nutrient-rich substance that comes out of the digester — to use on our fields.”
EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore, visiting the farm last spring, said she believes digesters can be an important part of creating renewable energy, reducing the region’s carbon footprint and helping manage nutrients.
“This is a family that has been here for six generations, that loves the land, are being great stewards, continuing a tradition, and producing a great product,” Shore said. “It’s really impressive.”
Mason sees this move as a “good way to expand,” as he doesn’t foresee that they are going to go beyond the current 400 cows that they’re milking. But it will create new revenue streams for the farm, and hopefully reduce the environmental impact of the manure they are currently spreading that some neighbors may find distasteful. He knows the farm and the family come in for their share of criticism from those who don’t understand.
“That’s why we host the Neighbor Days every year,” he explains. “We are an open book. We don’t have anything to hide. We want to share our story, especially with the neighbors who are most affected by what we do.
“We live here, too. I live on this farm. This is the water I drink. I swim in the lake. I didn’t make the choice to be born here, but I made a choice to come back here after college and make this my home — my career, my life. And I love it.”
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