By
Kristin Churchill
Assistant Editor
The Hoffman family
describes their farm on Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula as
“a place to come home to.” And that’s a fitting
description for the 125-year-old farm now operated by the fourth generation
of family members.
“The farm is a place for the whole family to come home to,”
said Monica Hoffman, who owns the 78-acre farm with her husband, Bill.
“During harvest, Bill’s sisters come home to help. It
becomes a family weekend.”
Bill and his sisters, Sara, Pat, Barb, Mary and Susan, are the great-grandchildren
of John and Matilda Hoffman, who settled the Traverse City farm in
1879. John and Matilda began growing apples, cherries and potatoes
on the land, farming until 1922 when their son William took over.
William and his wife, Isma, ran the farm for 22 years. Their son Tom
inherited it in 1944.
Tom and his wife, Irene, ran the farm until 1984, growing mostly sweet
and tart cherries. The farm was then passed on to their son Bill.
“We enjoyed farming,” Irene said. She and Tom continue
to live in the family farmhouse, built in 1892 to replace the razed
original house. “We still help out with harvest, run the cherry
stand; anything we can do to help, we’re happy to do.”
And Irene is pleased Bill is now in charge of the farm.
“We enjoy seeing the farm being passed down to the next generation,”
she said. “We’d hate to see anything else happen to it.”
And Bill and Monica are glad to continue the family’s farming
tradition.
“We both came from farm families and enjoy farming,” said
Monica, whose grandfather owned a cattle and potato farm on the East
side of the state.
The couple grows mostly sweet and tart cherries, but they’ve
expanded into pumpkins and other fall ornamental crops, such as Indian
corn and gourds, as well.
“Bill’s parents sold pumpkins years ago, about a few dozen
from their front porch,” Monica said. “We grow 3 acres
of pumpkins now.”
Monica said when it comes time to harvest the crops the whole family
comes out. She called it “a family event.” And she said
that’s one reason the farm should remain in the family.
“Hopefully it will always be here for the next generation,”
Monica said, adding she hopes one of her eight nieces and nephews
will eventually take over the farm.
