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MSU Extension’s Nikki Rothwell named Cherry Industry Person of the Year

Nikki Rothwell didn’t grow up with aspirations to be the National Cherry Queen. She was too interested in bugs. Nevertheless, the longtime director and educator at the Michigan State University Extension Office in Leelanau County found herself waving to the crowd as an honored participant in the DTE Energy Foundation Cherry Royale Parade. No tiara, though—instead, “I did get (to wear) a red jacket, like the Masters,” she says with a laugh, as winners of that golf tournament receive a green sport coat. Rothwell was honored as the Cherry Industry Person of the Year at the 2025 National Cherry Festival.

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National nutrition education program with local impact slated for elimination by Congress

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Jane Rapin, a community nutrition instructor with Michigan State University Extension, offered a food demonstration that featured fresh asparagus and quinoa salad earlier this spring at Leelanau Christian Neighbors’ food pantry in Lake Leelanau. May and early June are asparagus season in northwest Michigan, and LCN received a donation of locally grown stalks. “It was very well received. People were inspired by it,” said Rapin. “We did a short presentation about why this is nutritious and how cook with it. It’s important that we reach people who may not be familiar with asparagus.” Rapin’s work at the food pantry and other Leelanau locations including Northport high school and the Benodjenh tribal Head Start preschool in Peshawbestown is funded by the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, or commonly known as SNAP-Ed. The national nutrition education program is slated for elimination under the budget bill passed on May 22 by a single vote by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The Senate will pass its own bill in the coming weeks.

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Navigating the corn maze: Jacob’s Farm champions agritourism

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“Houses are great, but I think this is real pretty,” Jacob’s Farm owner Michael Witkop said as he stood outside the hilltop Orchard View wedding barn and gazed north across their 10-acre corn maze to the red centennial barn, where workers scurried like busy ants to open the restaurant, bar, and outdoor music venue by early June. Beyond the M-72 corridor, which connects his destination to bustling Traverse City, the hills of Leelanau County hovered in the distance like low-hanging clouds. We’re featuring Jacob’s Farm as part of our series on innovative solutions to the farming crisis. On May 7, Witkop addressed 65 attendees of Michigan State University (MSU) Extension’s first-ever Agritourism Summit, which included a tour of local agritourism businesses that have succeeded in bringing customers directly to their farms—thereby forestalling the fate that has forced tens of thousands of small farms across the United States to close in recent decades.

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Leelanau’s newest cherry farmers laud farm diversification

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First generation cherry farmers are an anomaly in Leelanau these days. As far as Sarah and Phil Hallstedt are aware, the Hallstedt Homestead Cherries was the “last in before doors slammed and prices dropped.” They knew most of the challenges involved with cherry farming in the early 2000s, when they began to look for the right piece of property to start their retirement career as farmers, but at the time it did not deter them. They performed a business case with MSU extension, local growers and fruit distributors from around Michigan. As Phil put it, “We felt we had a good business plan, but that was in 2006. We fell in love with the fruit and the community, and we are just stubborn.” Click here to read Abby Chatfield’s story, which appeared in our April 11 print edition.

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Supporting mental health on the farm

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“Growing up on a farm was a wonderful experience. I was surrounded by nature and family,” said Remington Rice, a Benzie County native who represents the fifth generation to grow up on the same family farm in rural Michigan. “Of course, not everything was perfect. The men in the family didn’t really talk about stress or how they were doing. I never heard my grandpa say he was stressed or sad; you just kept working and didn’t talk about it. I think there was this belief that if you don’t acknowledge it, then it’ll go away on its own.” Rice joined Michigan State University (MSU) Extension as a health and farm stress educator in August 2021.

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FoodCorps, partners reinforce school nutrition at Suttons Bay

FoodCorps recognizes that healthy eating is important for students, not only for their physical health, but also for their educational success. However, simply telling students that they should eat well does not result in healthier students. Students in low-income areas often face food insecurity. They don’t know where their next meal may come from, let alone if it will be a healthy option. Fifty-seven percent of students enrolled in Suttons Bay Elementary School last year were considered economically disadvantaged and qualified for free and reduced-price meals. In Michigan a family of four that makes less than $32,630 per year qualifies for the program.

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MSU Extension holds Water School

Attend Michigan State University (MSU) Extension’s two-day Water School: Essential Resources for Local Officials, Sept. 17-18 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center on 6686 S. Center Highway. The MSU Extension Water School is a joint project between MSU Extension and Michigan Sea Grant.

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The Leelanau Farmers Market experience

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After a particularly long and dreary, not to mention snowy, winter, Leelanau’s warmer weather—as well as the spring and summer bounty that comes with rising temperatures—is especially welcome. And there’s no better place to find seasonal food grown, canned, baked, dried and produced locally than a farmers market. Leelanau Farmers Market Association (LFMA), a nonprofit organization developed in 2000 by the Leelanau Agricultural Alliance in collaboration with Leelanau’s Michigan State University Extension, offers farmers markets five days a week in six locations within the county beginning in June: Empire, Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport and Suttons Bay.

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Understanding county government

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From staff reports The League of Women Voters Leelanau County (LWVLC) will host government and public policy educator John Amrhein at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in the Leelanau County Government Center. His presentation topic is “Understanding County Government: Its Structure and Authority”. Does county government have you totally stymied? In 45 minutes you will […]

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Empire Farmer’s Market master sought

The Empire Farmer’s Market seeks a market master — a “friendly, energetic, reliable person” to help vendors and operate the farmer’s market, which opens June 16 and runs until September 15. The market will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

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