General Information: Pond Hill Farm is a small family-owned and operated agricultural business (farm and market) in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Our farm is 153 acres with 20 in vegetables, 2 in strawberries and 2 in raspberries. We combine farm-based education with our operation. Our goal is to not only provide a means for our family, but also to provide an exceptional experience to all those who visit.Pond Hill Farm operates year round and produces products in all four seasons. We now offer fresh, greenhouse grown produce year round; as well as farm raised meats, canned goods, bulk food, dairy products, dry goods, bedding plants, seasonal decorations and a variety of other products. The market specializes in natural and organic foods and at the same time promotes agricultural education through group visits to the farm. Our livestock operation has grown to a herd of 16 Black Angus cattle, 22 sheep, 3 pigs, 2 goats, 200 chickens and one goose.

Type of Work: One of the main tasks required by the farm is the harvesting and care of vegetable crops. These are used for both retail/wholesale sale and for processing. Other tasks include care of the greenhouses, learning to grow plugs from seed, feeding and care of our animals, assisting with the canning of product, learning how to propagate, weed picking, contributing to the upkeep of the farm grounds and performing additional tasks associated with running a successful farm and store.

Duration of Harvest, Packing and/or Work Season: The operation of the farm can be broken into four seasons:

The spring season begins with maple syrup in March. Bedding plants, annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, flats and vegetable plants are grown in the greenhouses and sales begin in early May. The first outdoor vegetable crops are asparagus and rhubarb. These are sold fresh as well as being staples in our canned good product line.

The summer season starts with U-pick strawberries around mid-June. At this same time we begin to harvest some of the earliest crops from the field: lettuce, spinach, peas etc. Fresh produce, cut flowers and bedding plants round out the market offerings all summer. Strawberry picking is followed by raspberry picking and ever-bearing raspberries keep them coming until October. Trout fishing and bass fishing were made available in 2005 and began to generate enough revenue to warrant expanding these operations in the future.

The fall season starts in late September when all the winter squash and pumpkins are harvested. Fall decorations, canned goods, meats, produce, apples and other offerings keep the store busy throughout the fall season. We continue to offer fresh produce from the field, until the first frost, and continue harvesting fresh greenhouse grown produce all winter long.

The winter season starts with holiday decorations: wreaths, trees, garland, swags etc. All these items are available in the store for purchase as well as available as part of a decorating service offered to commercial and residential residents in Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Bay Harbor and the surrounding areas. The holiday season is also the time for gift basket purchases both in person and via the website. After Christmas, it is time to start planting in the greenhouses. Hanging baskets and ground pots get planted in February, vegetable and flower seeds get sown in March and produce is grown, cared for and harvested throughout the winter season.

Wages Earned by Workers: Most of our labor is supplied by our family, however, when we hire seasonal workers they are guaranteed the state minimum wage. We are always interested in talking to new potential workers who have experience in agriculture.

In addition to the work of our own family we have had 15 interns from abroad and the U.S. assisting us. We have always provided a family-like environment with many perks including trips to local points of interest and participation in seasonal activities. We work right along side our interns and try to educate on the whys of doing something a certain way, while also listening to ideas on alternative means. We encourage the interns to bring forth ideas on how to make the farm more self-sufficient, environmentally friendly and profitable. We provide a computer and Internet access for their research. Our hope is that they feel they make a larger contribution through their ideas.

Housing Information: We have provided modern seasonal housing to our interns/workers in the past.