At the tip of the peninsula, Gene and Kathy Garthe’s commitment to land conservation paves the way for continued sustainable agriculture and environmental preservation.
Photos by Mark Smith
Many of the nation’s cherries are grown in Michigan’s pinky finger.
Every spring, pink and white blossoms give way to cherries, delighting viewers all over Leelanau. Local farmers not only provide us with food, but beauty. Among them are Gene and Kathy Garthe. The couple are fourth-generation farmers growing cherries, apples, and pears at the tip of the peninsula in Northport. An additional 160 acres of their farm has recently been permanently protected in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through their Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The Garthe’s had already protected 201 acres with a Conservation Easement (CE) in 2015.
Farming has been the backdrop of Gene’s life. He grew up on a subsistence farm, where his parents prioritized a small scale operation focused on sustaining their family. “We had milk cows, pigs, and a few acres of cherries and pears. We butchered a cow or pig for meat and had a big garden. My mother canned and did everything on a wood stove,” he said. His family has been farming the land since the 1880s, and though he’s a fourth-generation farmer, Gene didn’t inherit land. “It’s difficult to put together a farming business if you didn’t inherit the land,” he said. “But we did not inherit anything. We bought all the land we own.”
Early in their marriage Gene leased farmland and equipment from his dad while Kathy worked as a nurse. When his great-aunt passed, Gene purchased her farm. Over time, the Garthes grew their farm by leasing more land in addition to the purchased land. “We were pretty nervous about that first farm we bought,” Gene glanced at Kathy. “We were very nervous,” she chuckled, “but it all worked out.”
What they refer to as the Nelson Farm had been leased from Gene’s uncle since the ‘80s. They were able to purchase the leased land a couple of years ago after his uncle’s passing. When looking towards the future, Gene and Kathy wanted to secure the farm’s legacy. In 2023, they permanently protected 160 acres of the land he had leased and eventually purchased from his uncle with a CE. “Over the last 30 or 40 years, the value of the land has completely outpaced the value of farming the land. We were lucky because we were buying at a time when you could still buy land and farming it was viable. There came a point in the late ‘90s where Gene realized that the next generation would be unable to buy and farm,” said Kathy. “If farming were going to continue on these lands, we had to think differently about how that could be possible. If we sold it without conserving it, the value of the land would be far beyond what anybody could make farming it. Conserving takes the pressure to develop off anybody who has it. We believe this is important agricultural land that shouldn’t lose the ability to grow and provide.”
When you support farmland protection, you also support conservation resources like prime, unique soils, forestland, and watersheds. A key contributor to the Garthe farm’s generations of success is its soil quality. Good soil is more than dirt. Its organic matter composition, nutrient content, and structure define the boundaries between success and stagnation in crop cultivation. Also within the Garthe’s farmland are wetlands where wildlife congregates, gets food and water, and where waterfowl roost and nest. The farm and its wetlands act as buffers, filtering pollutants and preventing runoff from reaching water bodies.
Farmland Protection Director Kim Hayes worked with the Garthes on this project. “Kathy and Gene each have a solid, clear determination to help ensure the future of farming in Leelanau and were willing to show by example on the land they dearly love. Working with them to permanently protect their farmland was anchored in their wish to make the land more affordable for future farmers—typical with CEs—and to protect wildlife habitat and the scenic character of northern Leelanau County. The CE includes farmland, forested land, and wetlands, most of which are visible from public roads,” says Hayes.
Gene and Kathy’s decision to protect their family farm demonstrates hope for the future of farming in Leelanau. Their choice ripples into a future where sustainable agriculture thrives, natural habitats grow, and community bonds remain strong. “You have to decide what you value, what you’re going to do with your life,” said Kathy. “We’ve always enjoyed this work. Farming is a superior intellectual challenge. And if you like it and stick with it, you build something and leave a legacy.”
