Seed Award Spotlight: Good Stead Farm

In our “Seed Award Spotlight” series, we asked the Fall 2024 Seed Award winners about their experience as a food or farm entrepreneur, including the passion behind their business, and their vision for positive change in their community. This January, 18 Seed Award winners were chosen to receive seed funding totaling almost $250,000. These grants represent not just financial investment, but an acknowledgment of the vital role farms and food distributors play in advancing Michigan’s food value chain.

One of this year’s notable recipients is Good Stead Farm, a Certified Organic farm located in Hope, Michigan. Founded in 2015, the farm spans seven acres and supports a vibrant community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, nourishes local restaurants, and enriches the Midland Farmer’s Market with over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and ethically raised animal products. Good Stead Farm stands out not only for its strict adherence to organic standards but also for its holistic approach to farming that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and community access to healthy, organic food.

Keep reading to learn more about Good Stead Farm and how their innovative practices and dedication to purity and sustainability are making significant impacts in their local food system and beyond.

Name: Sarah Longstreth           
Business Name: Good Stead Farm   

What does being selected as a Seed Award winner mean to you personally, and how does it reflect on the journey of your business so far?               

I am honored to have been chosen as a Seed Award winner for 2024, it’s not something I take lightly! Being selected feels like a vote of encouragement and confidence being given to our farm, our mission, and the trajectory of our work over the last ten years. This award will do much to welcome us into our 11th year of feeding our community and supporting our staff in a sustained, more efficient approach.       

In what ways will the Seed Award funding support your immediate and long-term business goals?

The minute details that are involved in running an organic, four-season vegetable farm in Michigan can sometimes feel endless. Aside from actually growing the vegetables and running the business, I spend much time and energy in reflecting on how the farm can continue to reduce the physical and mental labor needed to run it, without compromising on the quality or consistency of our vegetables.

For me, that solution has come down to added automation in our farming systems. The award that we will receive through the Good Seed Fund will go directly towards adding automation to our high tunnels and also to our wash/pack barn. Having more advanced mechanized systems will relieve its human workers of some of the more time and body/mind-intensive tasks, while maintaining outcomes. Worker satisfaction and increased efficiency in the short term directly supports our goals of long-term employee retention, quality of work life, and financial viability.  

Can you share your vision for the positive changes this award will enable you to make in your business and the broader community?               

I see my business goals and vision for positive change as one in the same thing. Supporting ourselves and our staff in this line of work so that we can continue to show up for our community year after year, doing our best work, in a way that resonates and is supported by our customers, is the most that I can ask of this farm business.  Avoiding physical and mental burnout by updating our production systems to work better for its people, allows us to keep offering the best of ourselves and our work to our broader community.        

What led you to start your business? What motivates you to do what you do?

I started this business because of my love of the land, independent work, and high-quality, local produce.  Though it’s the hardest work I have ever done, I continue to choose it as my work because of the positive outcomes I see grow from it: customers that feel like family, dedicated staff that continue to show up and work alongside us season after season, significant increase in the biological and physical health of our soil, increased biodiversity of our farm’s ecosystem, and knowing that we are providing something that adds to the overall health and vitality of our community.          

Want to try certified organic produce from Good Stead Farm? Visit their website to find their Hope location or view online ordering options. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.