Cultivating a Sustainable Future
Karen Russon, left, laughs with her husband, Craig Russon, as he climbs down from picking an apple tree, while their dog Violet digs a hole, on their farm in Clare, Michigan, September 7, 2020. The Russon’s bought their farm in central Michigan with the intention of retiring to a place where they thought they would be able to grow their own food and be least effected by what they view as the impending climate crisis caused by unmitigated climate change.
Craig Russon walks with their farm dog Violet, while trying to encourage her to herd the chickens back towards the chicken coop, September 7, 2020. Violet, like the farm, is a new part of the Russon family that they adopted from a neighbors liter of puppies after they moved into the farm, Craig hopes to train her to herd the chickens and to protect them from predators.
Family dog , Violet, surprises Karen Russon with a kiss while she picks vegetables in one of their vegetable gardens, September 9, 2020. When the Coronavirus arrived in the United States in March of 2020 the Russon’s had only been at their new home for 3 months, by the time planting season came around they had decided they would donate their harvests all summer to the local food pantry to help battle rising food insecurity in the local community caused by the pandemic.
Carrots, recently picked and thrown into a wheelbarrow, September 9, 2020.
Karen and Craig Russon carry a ladder and a bucket of fresh picked apples back to their farm house, September 7, 2020. The apples they picked were turned into hard cider later on in one of the Russons many side projects.
Cultivating a Sustainable Future
When Karen and Craig Russon began to think about retirement they first envisioned themselves in Spain or Portugal, but they quickly changed their minds as they began to consider the ramifications climate change might have on the world in the coming future. With this worry in their mind they began researching where they could retire and be safe in the unpredictable climate of the future. Their research lead them surprisingly enough to find the central Michigan area as one of the safest places to be in the coming decades.
The Russons began looking for a farm to buy in Central Michigan but this process was made difficult by two factors: one the Russons live in France while Craig works for the United Nations International Labor Organization and two the farm they ended up choosing was owned by an Amish family which made communication, especially international communication difficult. Eventually the Russons were able to visit the farm and decided to buy it and bring their son Vincent in as a farm manager.
Since the Russons planned on turning their farm into a climate change refuge they began their farm by wanting to focus on sustainable agriculture. They spent the summer learning how to plant and care for their crops, how to raise chickens, how to deal with pests, and a lot of other lessons beginning farmers must learn.
Besides the hands on work of farming the Russons also began learning how they can make a difference growing their sustainable agriculture. Food Insecurity is an issue the Russons have been concerned about for a time but with the economic strain caused by Covid-19 they began to see how their farm could help combat local food insecurity in the central Michigan area. They began donating their harvests to the Mount Pleasant Community Compassion Network, which now has a sign on their distribution door that says “Fresh Picked Today Leaf Lettuce From Russon Farms.” This is one of Craig and Karens proudest accomplishments since buying the farm.
The Russons are constantly working on new small scale agriculture besides just their chickens and vegetable gardens. They have apple trees they harvest and are turning into hard cider, they attempted to raise rabbits a couple months ago, they have planted an entire small grove of blue berry bushes that will produce berries in three years, they have turned grapes from their property into jam, and many other projects. There is always a new project happening at the Russon farm.
The Russons have also been learning how to sell the product they don’t donate at the farmers market in Mount Pleasant. Besides offering them a lesson in selling their produce the farmers market has also been a great place for the Russons to meet and network with other local farmers. Every week they arrive with a new assortment of questions for their stalls neighbors, who are more than happy to share their knowledge with the new farmers.