I grew up on top of a hill overlooking fields that have been in our family for seven generations. We live on 2,300 acres in southern Michigan. In early summer, when the corn was just knee high, dusk would fall and the fields would light up with fireflies. We’d drive past soybeans featuring every shade of yellow and gold on our 30-minute commute to school. My siblings and I would build forts out of hay bales and fight off imaginary intruders.
然而我的心不在里面。我曾经因为做家务做得不好而遇到麻烦。我的父母对我让鸡的水变得脏了，没有收集鸡蛋。我哭了起来，告诉他们我讨厌离朋友半小时的住所。我讨厌在冬季中旬携带5加仑的水作为绵羊。但最重要的是，我讨厌住在农场。
So I thought leaving was the best adventure. Years later, when my parents told me they were going to grow an obscure ancient grain called teff, I decided to move back to Michigan to help them. We were unfamiliar with the Ethiopian grain aside from it being high in fiber and gluten free. The learning curve was steep. What type of soil bed does it like? How does it react to Michigan humidity? How do you clean it?
After three years of growing teff and selling the flour on Amazon, I began making a nutty teff granola, orTeffola. We launched in our first store in January 2018 and the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the flavorful granola are shaping some big plans.
在农场上，事情并不是那么有希望。大豆和玉米期货看起来黯淡，我的直觉说将它们丢弃了新的和不同的东西。荞麦和燕麦等农作物很容易在我们的农场上种植，并在teffola中使用。当然，将新作物推向市场要容易做起来难。Teff没有像其他商品那样获得补贴或拥有农作物保险；处理设施，设备和许可费很昂贵。
But the niche market for healthy foods, specifically alternative grains, is alluring. The global health and wellness food industry value will reach US$768 billion by the end of 2019. And consumers are ready to pull out their wallets for this once trendy way of eating. Eighty percent of North Americans are willing to pay more for foods with health benefits and 19 percent are willing to pay a premium for本地成分.
商店喜欢Argus Farm Stop通过农民寄售业务模式支持当地食品运动，仅从供应商那里获得25％。Instagram帐户如@underatinroof和@happyacrefarmshow followers what support at the farmers market translates to on a five acre farm. These small signs of change are encouraging and show that there’s a demand for healthy food and support for those who grow it.
我了解我父亲犹豫不决。种植新作物是一种风险。自从我回去以来，我正在了解更多关于经营农场所需的内容。我了解为什么我们不能“只种50英亩的荞麦”。我不愿意将所有领域的杂草除草以提高我们的产量。随着我的成熟，与他的交谈发生了变化。我们讨论理论未来，而不是物流。使用更少的除草剂或使用农场中的食材开发新产品的利弊，或者未来的外观。我推动他改变，因为这将确保我们家庭的遗产。
