Jim joined MSU Extension in 1976 as the Leelanau County Extension Director. From 1992 until his retirement in 2007 he served as a district horticulturalist and coordinator of the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station. Since retiring from MSU, he spends his time growing cherries on his farm near Suttons Bay with his wife, Toddy Rieger. Jim currently chairs the Michigan Tree Fruit Commission and serves on Michigan Farm Bureau’s environmental policy committee and the MSU Extension and AgBioResearch State Council.
