We welcome a new farmer who grows and grinds all-organic grains
The Market is pleased to welcome a new farmer to our ranks. Stony Croft Farms, located in Mayfield Township in Lapeer County, proudly grows all-organic grains and then grinds them into flour that they will sell at the Market starting on Opening Day, May 2.
As the owner, Doug Hodge, says on the farm’s website: “We plant all organic seed, which is Non-GMO, and utilize natural forms of fertilizer to enhance our soils and the grains that are grown. We do not use any glyphosate sprays and are progressing towards organic certification.”
The farm grows buckwheat, red and white wheat as well as different cornmeals. The harvest is milled into 15 different baking flours, including rye, pumpernickel, spelt, buckwheat and einkorn, which is an unhybridized ancient grain flour with a higher protein content than modern wheat.
The farm also makes four different pancake mixes and two seasonal ones – pumpkin and apple spice. Hodge says they will be making pancake samples at their Market booth.
Hodge and his wife, June, got out of dairy farming in the 1980s. After a career as a rural appraiser, he wanted to try farming again, this time “with intention.” So in 2015 the Hodges purchased land to begin farming again.
“We did our research, we found a spot in the market that we felt was not being met, and that was with the stone ground flour,” he says. “In my professional career, I’ve done a lot of flour mills, so it’s always been kind of an interest.”
Please welcome Stony Croft Farms to the Market on May 2, Opening Day, and then revisit them every first Saturday of the month except July 4 and September 5. Click here to visit their website.