By Angela Madaras
In the beginning of 2020, the world came to a crushing halt. With supply chains broken and store shelves empty, pandemic-fearing locals wanted to stock up on seeds to grow their own food in case they would be unable to import or truck food into our area. By chance, our area went into isolation mode in mid-March 2020, right when farms start planting seedlings in nurseries, the ground, and in hoop houses. All living organisms start from seed, whether a thought, inspiration, or a physical seed created from a plant to grow a new plant. The seed is where my interest starts for this interview with Ann Arbor Seed Company owner-farmer Eric Kampe. I have been buying their seeds for some years because I appreciated the open-pollinated, heirloom, and climate-appropriate vegetable varieties sold in local stores and online. The seeds come in clear plastic re-sealable bags, instead of paper envelopes, so one can see the amount, size, and quality of the product.
What were once three businesses, Ann Arbor Seed Company, Green Things Farm, and the Land Loom, is now one: Green Things Farm Collective. They came together in 2020, as their website explains, “to expand production, share the management of running a diverse farm business, and develop a model of sustainable, cooperative, and responsible farming.”
Small-scale regenerative farming is a business unlike any other in its bias toward diversity of product, consideration of ecological systems, personal touch, and community capital over efficiency, scalability, and profit at any cost. As a whole truly greater than the sum of its parts, Green Things Farm Collective and the community it serves stand to benefit greatly from the forty plus years of diverse farming experience among the Collective’s working members, and the innovation and inspired vision only possible when a group of passionate farmers come together to share in the joys and challenges of their calling.
Eric Kampe is one of the five farmers who operate individual agriculture businesses together as The Green Things Farm Collective on 100 acres of aged farmland. The soil is challenged as old school style large-scale farming practices over time leached the organic matter, leaving hard clay that does not hold water or nutrients. Because the Collective wanted to run a responsible, organic, and no till farm, they had to put their minds and bodies to work to find ways to feed the soil naturally, while at the same time producing healthy food and ornamentals from which seeds could be saved.
Eric Kampe, Owner of Ann Arbor Seed Co.
The necessity was clear, but the way to make it happen was unclear. It took a year of hard work to get their business ready for online ordering (which most farmers were not doing until Covid-19) and increase CSA memberships, retail sales, and market sales. Kampe was already selling seeds online and in local retail shops. Thanks to his past work as a computer engineer that part was easy, but not as joy filled. However, these talents placed him at an advantage to most other small agriculture businesses.
Kampe began his seed company in 2012 and joined his farmer friends in the collective known as Green Things Farm Collective in 2020. Kampe’s main interest is soil health and saving the highest quality open-pollinated, organic seeds. He ensures the best quality seeds are saved for their farm and for the seed business sales. This is great for seed buyers who want to grow their own garden and save their own seeds. A home gardener can eventually save enough of their own seeds to become almost self sufficient in the garden arena. In the event one just wants to buy fresh produce, flowers, and beef from the collective, a share to fit their individual family needs with a variety of shares, prices, and amounts can be purchased, or they can purchase at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and other retail venues in Ann Arbor like Argus and Agricole. The pre-paid CSA shares are picked up by the customers with no contact, making it as safe as possible. They follow all safety protocols and rules to protect the plants and people. I wanted to pick Kampe’s brain because I had read and heard such great things about the farmers and this rare farm business model (rare for our area, but actually ancient and practiced all over the world).
Angela Madaras: Eric what brought you back to Michigan and farming-seed saving after working as a computer engineer?
Eric Kampe: I came from an outdoor loving family where I enjoyed completing daily tasks and working the soil with my hands and hand tools. There is satisfaction in eating a plant I started from a seed that we saved from the past year’s crops.
Angela Madaras: How did you connect with your other four partners? And why did you decide to combine efforts to purchase 100 acres to farm, especially considering the land would take many years to regenerate? Please explain how each business supports the other.
Eric Kampe: I started by volunteering, and eventually working for, an organic farm in Colorado called Abbondanza, which is Italian for abundance. It was there I learned all about seed saving, which caught my heart. My wife Meredith Kahn, and I moved back “home” to Michigan and began our farm on a three quarter an acre rented plot with the goal of saving seeds in 2012. The act of farming is a full time, seven days a week, ten to fifteen hour a day, year-round job which could be simplified by sharing the tasks with others of the same mindset. So, a group of five of us met through farming events, beer meetings, and sharing meals. From there we decided to co-farm 100 acres with each of us focused on our best skills while supporting the whole.
Angela Madaras: Explain your particular way or style of seed saving.
Eric Kampe: All our plants are open pollinated, which means they are pollinated by wind, insects, and birds. We raise our own seeds from the plants we grow to sell as food or for ornamentals. Each year we hone-in on the best of each crop. We grow a small selection of mostly heirloom plants and sell enough varieties of seeds for a person’s backyard garden. Enriching the soil with manure, compost, and mineral amendments allows us to create healthier soil, plants, animals, and seeds.
Angela Madaras: The seed business began for you in 2012, then turned into the collective endeavor in 2020. Did you experience any up sides in your business with Covid-19 now that local food has become more popular due to fear of imports, and a stronger desire for many Arborites to support local food businesses? Has this shown up in higher sales?
Eric Kampe: There are no upsides to Covid-19’s destruction and loss of human lives, but it did push us to grow more, and our sales did hit an all time high in 2020. Our CSA memberships grew to 100 fall CSA members and market sales, smaller share sales, and boutique style on site farm sales.
Angela Madaras: What is your plan for future growth or expansion? Or are you happy where things are currently?
Eric Kampe: We want to grow our business, reach more locals, and improve our current collective. We are expanding vegetable fields. We can only grow as fast as we are able to feed and improve the soil. This takes a lot of work and time. We are mindful of how we treat our soil, as that is the base of all our activities in farming. We want to leave this place better than we found it.
Ann Arbor Seeds and Green Things Farm Collective are laying groundwork for our community and contributing to the growth of our local food system in positive ways. If you are interested in growing food for your family, I encourage you to purchase seeds soon, as seed sales are higher than they have been. I love that our food centric, land-loving group of citizens are trying to clean up the planet and our own bodies, minds, and spirits, one seed and one person at a time.
To learn more about the Ann Arbor Seed Company visit a2seed.com. They are located at 3825 Nixon Road in Ann Arbor. You can also visit the Green Things Farm Collective online to learn more about the CSA membership options at greenthingsfarm.com/memberships.
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