February 2019 - 35

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
products online has expanded their
markets. Nancy and her husband,
Paul, are the fourth generation to
operate the Empkie farm. They began
Empkie's Farm Market with the help
of their sons, Scott and Brian and
daughter, Jen.
Sweet corn has always stayed
number one and took a big jump up
when the Empkies started freezing
their own corn for retail sales in 2011.
They rented a kitchen in a nearby
high school technical education
center, were licensed by the Michigan
Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MDARD) and passed
inspection. " They came out and
watched while we were processing
sweet corn, " Nancy said.
" For the most part,
we're a family
business. It's small
scale but it works well
for us. "
− Nancy Empkie,
Empkie's Farm Market
The Empkies eventually built their
own kitchen facility on the farm. " We
knew sweet corn wasn't going to pay
for it, " Nancy said. " We already grew
tomatoes and peppers, and decided to
start making salsa. " They also started
to make jam.
This change brought new
regulations. " Since salsa and jam
are shelf-stable products, they are
regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug
Administration), " Nancy said. That
meant the operation had to become a
Federal Canning Establishment (FCE).
" We had to send reports to the FDA
on how we planned to make salsa and
jam, " Nancy said. " A food scientist had
to go over the reports to make sure
the process produced a safe product.
When FDA concurred, MDARD came
in and watched the process. "
The Empkies eventually received the
FCE. " There are a lot of records, " Nancy
said, so MDARD can audit the process.
The frozen sweet corn and salsa and
jam are sold straight off the farm and
through local grocery stores.
" The local stores have been so
receptive, " Nancy said. " They gave
our sweet corn good shelf space at
eye level. They gave our salsa and
jam good shelf space, too, when they
started selling them. "
The Empkies have also started
selling salsa and jam online. " Sales
aren't knocking down the door, but
they've been growing, " Nancy said.
Their daughter, Jen, processes the
online sales from her home in Grand
Rapids, Michigan. Jen also updates the
farm's website.
Nearly all vegetable production is
outdoors. Transplants are started in a
A broader range of winning Eazyleaf™
varieties, all featuring a one seed,
one-cut, multiple leaves approach to great salad, will deliver new colors,
loft and 3D-texture to the bags and clamshells.
Eazyleaf™
can be sold as a pre-cut mix, or as a whole head marketed to
customers as a one-step, easy-to-prepare salad greens.
VGN | FEBRUARY 2019 | 35
greenhouse. There are also a couple
hoophouses for early tomatoes.
Brian does a lot of the farm work.
Jen and her husband, Danny, help out
at Saturday farmers' markets. Brian's
wife, Trina, has an off-farm job, but
also helps at the Saturday markets.
Scott and his wife, Mercedes, live in
Indiana, but help on the farm any
time they are home. And, the Empkie
grandchildren are always eager to help
when they visit the farm.
The main farmers' market is the
Port Austin Farmer's Market.
" We turned four of our hay wagons
into farm market stands, " Nancy said.
" It's simple. We get the wagon loaded
and away we go at 10 miles per hour
to town. Paul takes off the drawbar off
at the market. "
A common theme at farmers'
markets is you've got to like people
and enjoy talking to them. There's also
a tremendous public response when
customers realize they're talking to the
people who actually grew the food.
" They want to know the farmer, and
they want to talk to the farmer, " Nancy
said. " They have a lot of questions. "
The experience from the licensing and
food processing inspection process
lets the Empkies attest to how safe the
country's food supply is.
" For the most part, we're a family
business, " Nancy said. " It's small scale
but it works well for us. " VGN
New colors,
loft and 3D-texture
February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2019
