“So, a social employee, a farmer, an engineer, and a salesman stroll right into a bar…”
That appears like the start of a tacky joke, however when you swap the phrase “farm” in for “bar,” it’s fairly near the story of how Abby Schilling bought Mick Klüg Farms from her father, Mick Klüg, seven years in the past.
From Farmer to Social Employee, to Farmer Once more
Abby grew up on the farm in Saint Joseph, Michigan, and she or he was once a Klüg (pronounced kl-OO-g) herself. She spent her childhood promoting peaches, blueberries, and zucchini at Chicago farmers’ markets. Then, she left farming behind for a profession in social work—at the very least for a short while. In 2017, the Klügs determined to go the farm to the subsequent technology, and Abby headed house.
“Farming, I’ve discovered, has a whole lot of social work concerned,” she instructed The FruitGuys this spring. “… It’s actually in regards to the relationships you kind all through the agriculture group.”
In our “stroll right into a bar” joke, Abby is the social employee—though she’s additionally a third-generation farmer. Her husband Mark Schilling is the farmer, her sister-in-law Bae Schilling is the engineer, and Mark’s brother Ben Schilling is the salesperson.
Left to proper: Ben Schilling, Bae Schilling, Mick Klüg, Abby Schilling, and Mark Schilling with their youngsters/grandchildren
Immediately, the 4 of them co-own Mick Klüg Farms, rising cherries, blueberries, apricots, asparagus, peaches, candy peas, tomatoes, raspberries, melons, plums, grapes, and extra. Abby and Bae are the bulk homeowners, and the farm’s women-owned standing means loads to Abby, given her household historical past.
Ladies-Owned at Final: Increase a Trowel to Grandma Clara
The Klüg household on the unique homestead farm within the early Nineteen Fifties, left to proper: Dorothy, Caroline, Clara, Ed Jr., and Ed Sr.
Mick Klüg Farms is actually a household farm. Within the Nineteen Thirties, Mick’s dad and mom bought 40 acres of farmland in Saint Joseph. They each labored the land, however due to the period, Mick’s father acquired all the credit score.
“My grandma, Clara, did simply as a lot work as my grandfather, if no more, and she or he additionally took care of six youngsters,” Abby mentioned. “The joke is that my dad was born within the cherry orchard. He wasn’t, however she by no means actually ever stopped working [after he was born]. She performed an enormous half. I believe if she had been round as we speak, she can be actually blissful to see that her granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law are getting the credit score that she very a lot deserved.”
Abby and Bae instructed The FruitGuys that in 2024, issues are totally different for ladies farmers than they had been within the ‘30s.
Abby Schilling (left) and Bea Schilling (proper) of Mick Klüg Farms
“I believe folks may assume that we’re handled in another way, however we’re not. Our male counterparts and older males within the business have a whole lot of respect for the truth that we’re taking it on full-force. That has been actually fascinating to see and in addition simply reinstates the significance of what we do and of being leaders throughout the business,” Abby mentioned.
Bae got here to farming after working as a scientist, engineer, and nonprofit enterprise director. She mentioned that issues had been powerful as a girl in a few of these male-dominated fields, however she hasn’t had the identical obstacles in farming.
“So long as you will have one thing legitimate to say, you place out an excellent product, and also you respect the folks you’re working with and that give you the results you want, [other farmers will respect you, too],” she mentioned.
Farming in Michigan’s ‘Fruit Belt’
Mick Klüg Farms spans 120 acres of Michigan’s “Fruit Belt,” which stretches north to south alongside the coast of Lake Michigan.
“It’s this microclimate alongside the shoreline that has very fertile soil because of Lake Michigan, in addition to the lake offering a buffer for excessive chilly temperatures within the winter so we’re not getting fairly as chilly as the center of the state,” Abby explains. “In the summertime it has the other impact—we aren’t getting fairly as scorching.”
Due to that wealthy soil and temperate local weather, Mick Klüg Farms produces virtually too many vegatables and fruits to call, together with veggies like asparagus, and fruits like cherries, raspberries, and grapes. They promote their bounty at farmer’s markets and in FruitGuys recent fruit supply bins. Mick and Abby have labored with The FruitGuys since 2000, and we sit up for their berries and stone fruit each summer season.
The Schillings make an effort to farm sustainably. Mick Klüg Farms is environmentally verified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) for its efforts to forestall agricultural air pollution. Each crop is hand-harvested, and if Abby needed to choose simply three phrases to explain their work, she’d select “busy, unpredictable, and rewarding.”
A Rollercoaster Summer time Season at Mick Klüg Farms
Bae (left) and Abby (proper) within the orchard at Mick Klüg Farms
This 12 months, the phrase “unpredictable” turned out to be an correct one. When The FruitGuys spoke to Abby and Bae in early June, they’d simply misplaced their complete apricot crop to a late frost.
“That may be a bummer however that’s okay, that’s farming,” Abby mentioned. “Elevating apricots in Michigan may be very difficult, and we usually solely get a fantastic crop each 5 years or so.”
Fortunately, the farm’s cherry season was booming. It kicked off sooner than normal in June with sweet-tart Jubileum cherries and tart Montmorency and Balaton cherry varieties. Candy cherries like Cavalier, Regina, and Black Pearl had been scorching on their heels. Abby and Bae had been additionally enthusiastic about their upcoming blueberry, peach, and raspberry crops.
“Every thing’s early as a result of heat winter and heat spring. … The beginning date of blueberries traditionally has been round July 4, however I believe we’re going to start out [picking] Monday, June 17. It’s a record-breaking 12 months for blueberries by way of begin date,” Abby mentioned.
In early June, she and Bae had been already trying ahead to their favourite peach varieties, just like the Glenglo (a candy and juicy early-season peach) and Autumnstar (a big, barely tart, late-season peach). The Mick Klüg crew vegetation dozens of sorts to allow them to prolong every fruit’s season. This 12 months, they hope to have cherries by way of July and peaches and blueberries by way of August.
“Every time folks ask me how the season’s going, my response tends to be, ‘Every thing we are able to management goes effectively,’” Bae mentioned.
To be taught extra in regards to the historical past of Mick Klüg Farms, try this interview with Abby’s father, Mick Klüg.
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