Foundation leads search for person(s) to grow organic mission, message
A mission to grow crops organically and protect the soil on the Vetter family’s 280-acre farm near Marquette is on the verge of a transition, both in terms of ownership and leadership.
Established officially in 1978, The Grain Place has grown in scope and stature. Recognized nationally for its on-farm research and efforts to advance organic/regenerative agriculture, the operation now involves three separate entities -- The Grain Place, Inc., Grain Place Foods and Grain Place Foundation -- all of which are rooted in the soil. That has not changed since Day 1. What has evolved is the Vetter family’s effort to insure that the mission carries on for years to come.
At age 75, David Vetter, who returned to the family farm in 1975 and made The Grain Place his life’s work, has an eye to the future with plans for eventual retirement. Current farm manager Raymond Main is also planning for retirement, thus there is a growing sense of urgency for bringing in new leadership.
“We are looking for the right person(s) to whom we can transition leadership of The Grain Place and Grain Place Foundation,” reads a leadership opportunity posting on the company’s website. “After several decades of operating this pioneering organic farm, we are transferring ownership from the Vetter family to a scientific and educational non-profit, whose purpose is the advancement of organic/regenerative agriculture.”
Jay Vetter, executive director of the Grain Place Foundation, explained that the posting reflects a renewed effort to find the right person or persons to step in, get their boots dirty on the farm itself, then work to carry the mission forward.
“The reason we formed the foundation to begin with all had to do with the long-term health of the farm and health of the soil,” he explained in a phone interview from his home in Colorado. “We felt it was really important to somehow keep the farm as a pioneering farm and still treat the soil and the farm itself in the same vein that we’ve always tried to treat it. Over the years David has played a leading role in the organic agriculture movement and the foundation is our effort to be able to continue that.”
The need for new leadership is not unique to The Grain Place, Vetter noted.
“It’s pretty much across farm country at this point, part of a great transition of who’s going to do the farming,” he said. “Unfortunately, from my perspective, we’re seeing industrial agriculture moving more toward absentee ownership and management, and that sort of thing. I think for the health of smaller communities, that’s not very good.”
Indeed, many applicants have responded to the job/leadership opening post, though Vetter said some want to take on the challenge from afar.
“Half the responses we get are from somebody who wants to do it from an office 400 or 1,000 miles away, you know somebody that acts as a farm management team, so to speak,” he said. “That’s really not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for somebody who wants to start on the farm, but also carry on some of the legacy of generating data about different things you can do on a farm, but also helping get a message out that is a little different than what other people are getting out.”
Vetter reported interest in the position and broader opportunity, while also expressing a common concern echoed nationally now in terms of being able to find, hire and retain quality individuals in today’s workplace.
“We’ve been frustrated in our attempts to find the right person,” he said. “We were in some fairly intense negotiation with somebody that would have been really good at it, but they ended up staying in academia, so now we’re renewing our effort.”
In addition to direct operation of the farm, this opportunity would involve research, education (including supervising interns), foundation development and involvement in the larger organic/regenerative movement, the website posting explains of an opportunity to be mentored by David Vetter.
Asked how he feels about the current search and pending transition, David recognized that the timing is critical.
“I’m excited about the possibilities and the opportunities that lie ahead,” he said. “As we learn more, how we approach day-to-day management and what we do is going to have to change, so finding that person who can help us maintain some continuity, the long-term vision, that becomes I think one of the most important pieces.”
Vetter echoed his brother’s frustration with applicants who want to do the job from an office outside of Hamilton County.
“We need to find somebody who understands and knows the farm from experience and basically that comes from boots on the ground,” he said. “We have housing available for at least two families and we’re also in the process of trying to build facilities to house interns and students, so we could begin to do some things with research grants and stuff like that. This is an opportunity that may eventually turn into more of an executive position with the foundation, depending on the individual, but this is kind of the place we’d like to start.”
Planning for an eventual ownership/leadership change began years ago, thus steps are being taken from a legal perspective. Family members own a majority of the company now, though a much greater percentage of the ownership will be transferred to the foundation in the next few years.
“We would like to see the family maintain a connection to the farm, with mostly our children and grandchildren, but it will be a minority ownership,” David explained.
Grain Place history
The Grain Place story began on the Vetter family farm near Marquette in 1953, when Don Vetter began questioning the science and ethics of the agriculture practices of the day, according to the website. Don’s son David returned to the farm in 1975, at which time organic, sustainable farming methods became an application of both biological and theological principals.
The farm was certified organic in 1978 and became The Grain Place in 1979. Grain Place Foods., Inc., was created in 1987 to take advantage of value-added manufacturing opportunities. Now a well-established business, Grain Place Foods is operated by a staff of two dozen employees.
In order to grow the organic speciality crops needed to fill the growing demands at Grain Place Foods, the company works with a network of growers all across the state and nation, including long-term partners in California, Michigan, Texas, Colorado and even Canada.
“As our business changes, then the network of growers that we work with changes because our ingredients for our specialty manufacturing that we do change,” Vetter noted. “We’re trying to maintain those connections and that network of farmers, which covers a pretty large diversity of farming and farming environments.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at grainplacefoundation.org.