Macomb County agriculture still growing strong

Mary Dunckel, Michigan State University Extension - June 19, 2013

The public is invited to learn about fruit and vegetable production as Macomb County’s oldest family celebrates its bicentennial.

Macomb County’s oldest family farm will celebrate its 200^th year on Saturday, June 29 with a fun, family-friendly day designed to give consumers a taste of both modern farm production and agriculture’s rich history. The event will take place at Westview Orchards, 65075 Van Dyke, Romeo, Mich. in Washington Township from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a special awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m. to recognize the farm’s bicentennial milestone.

Westview Orchards is the result of six generations of family dedication. The farm encompasses 188 acres of fruit trees and crops including strawberries, apples, peaches, cherries, pears, nectarines, sweet corn, raspberries and fall vegetables. The farm also features a modern cider mill, bakery and an ice cream and sweet shop.

The owners of Westview Orchards are looking forward to showing visitors their historical farm structures and their modern farming practices. Educational, guided wagon rides through the orchards and fields will be offered throughout the day. The tour will stop at the strawberry field where visitors will learn about conservation practices and pollination. At the farm’s Enviro-weather station the presentation will include Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools and practices such as disease and pest scouting and weather prediction models. The final stop will feature pumpkin planting equipment and a travelling irrigation system. Michigan State University Extension educators will be at each stop to answer questions that guests may have.

In addition to the educational tour, families will also: enjoy visiting with Michigan Commodity representatives, hear a Romeo history lesson, taste local food samples and view gardening and food preservation demonstrations throughout the day. The entire event will take place come rain or shine and is free thanks to local sponsors and donors.

The event is organized and sponsored by: Michigan State University Extension, Macomb County Farm Bureau, The Maris-Brown Agency, Macomb Agriculture PDR Committee and the Westview Family, Abby, Bill, Katey and Maggey Jacobson and Katrina Schumacher.

For more information, contact Mary Dunckel, MSU Extension agriculture literacy educator at (989) 354-9870 or dunckelm@anr.msu.edu or Bob Tritten, MSU Extension district horticulture educator at (810) 244-8555 or tritten@anr.msu.edu

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).